The Bachelorette: Destiel Edition
by JjRavenclawFromDistrict11
Summary: (Destiel AU) Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak are among the 25 bachelors vying for Atara Kemmiam's heart on the latest season of "The Bachelorette." They are strangers, but they start to get to know each other while on the show, and become good friends. And then… maybe more than just friends.
1. Week 1

**The beginning of this is a little weird. I wanted to try something a bit new, so I did the first bit like the bios they do at the beginning of each season. The rest of this fic will be from Dean or Cas's POV, though.**

…

 _ **Week 1**_

…

 _[Camera zooms in to show 31 year-old Atara Kemmiam leaning on a balcony railing, dressed in a black tank top and jean shorts. Her long silvery-lavender hair begins blowing away from her face as the wind picks up.]_

 _[Voice-over begins.]_

 _Atara: Even though it didn't work out with Joel last season, I still believe there's someone out there for me, and I want to find love. I was so shocked when Chris asked me to be the Bachelorette. I've always been that awkward girl who doesn't fit in, and I can't say I know why so many people wanted me for this, but I'm so grateful. I've tried and failed so many times at finding love that I started to get discouraged. This is my chance. Maybe my last chance. I'm determined to seize this opportunity that I've been given, and to not hold back. I'm looking for something that will last forever._

…

 _[Bios of the bachelors begin.]_

 _[Camera shows a short clip of 32 year-old Dean Winchester, dressed in a plaid shirt and dirty jeans, with his head under an older car. He then rolls out from under it with greasy hands and a smile on his face.]_

 _[Camera cuts to a closer shot of Dean, cleaned up, with a ribbon at the bottom of the screen listing his name (Dean), age (32), occupation (mechanic), and hometown (Lawrence, Kansas).]_

 _Dean: Hey, my name's Dean. I'm a mechanic from Kansas, and the two most important things in my life are my brother, Sam, who's a lawyer, and my car, which is a 1967 Chevy Impala. It was my dad's car._

 _[Sad music begins to play.]_

 _Dean: When I was 21, my dad died in a car crash. He was at a bar, drinking, so he took a taxi home. Obviously, he didn't make it. I got the call about an hour after it happened. My mom died when I was five, so that left me and my brother by ourselves. Sam was 16 at the time, so I ended up dropping out of college and moving back home to take care of him. I worked hard so he could go to college, because I knew how smart he was. Now, though, I realize I've spent so much time worrying about him, I forgot to worry about myself._

 _[Music begins to speed up, sounding hopeful.]_

 _Dean: I want to fall in love, I do, but I haven't found the right girl yet. Going on "The Bachelorette" was actually my brother's idea. I wasn't sure about it at first, but after a while, I realized that he was right. I need to start thinking about my future, and that's why I'm here._

…

 _[Camera shows a panorama of a high school gym, where 35 year-old Castiel Novak, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and blue tie, is showing a redheaded boy how to correctly parry an attack from another fencing saber. He then moves on to another student, showing him how to lunge for a successful attack.]_

 _[Camera cuts to a closer shot of Castiel, now wearing a tan trench coat over his suit, with a ribbon at the bottom of the screen listing his name (Castiel "Cas"), age (35), occupation (fencing instructor), and hometown (Pontiac, Illinois).]_

 _Castiel: Hello, my name is Castiel, but most people just call me "Cas". I teach fencing at a private school in Illinois, and I live with my brother Balthazar, who owns a small bar near our apartment._

 _[Quick shot of Castiel talking to 45 year-old Balthazar Roché. Return to close-up]_

 _Castiel: Actually, Balthazar isn't my real brother. I grew up in the foster system, and he was in one of the group homes I stayed in for a while. He's… interesting. I'm embarrassed to say I don't actually watch this show. In fact, I didn't even sign up for this. Balthazar signed me up without asking, and when I found out later, I had no intention of doing this. But Balthazar fought me on it, so here I am. He's right, though. I love kids, I love working with kids, and I want to find love just like anyone else. I'm just so… awkward… that I don't get out much._

 _[Castiel laughs.]_

 _Castiel: I'm cautiously optimistic about being on "The Bachelorette." I'm excited to meet Atara, too; I've heard nothing but good things about her. I don't think I can say now whether we're meant to be or not. I don't think anyone can honestly say that until they've gotten to know the person. Which, admittedly, might be hard to do in just ten weeks. So… we'll see."_

…

Cas had major jitters on the way to the Bachelor mansion. He knew how the show worked, thanks to Balthazar, and was worried that he'd get all the way there only to realize he didn't have chemistry with the Bachelorette, Atara. Sure, she seemed nice in all the interviews and video clips Balthazar made him watch, but people could be very different in real life than they were on camera. He certainly didn't like the prospect of being filmed during this. But once the camera crew came to his hometown to interview him, he knew it was too late to back out.

It's not that he didn't think he could fall in love here, it's just… the likelihood of it all working out was pretty slim. I mean, 1 out of 25? That's a 4% chance he'd walk out of there happy, a 32% chance he'd get sent home the first night, and a 64% chance get his heart broken later. That's a 96% chance overall that he wouldn't leave successful in finding love.

So the best Cas could muster up was "cautiously optimistic". That's what he'd told the interviewer.

They finally arrived, and all the guys in the car looked around to see who would go first. Finally, the green-eyed blond across from Cas volunteered.

Cas was the last to exit the car, letting the two other men go out after the green-eyed man. Then, knowing there was no more stalling, he nervously stepped out.

His first impression of Atara was simply: WOW.

She was short and curvy, but absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was a silvery light purple, and somehow drew attention to her dark brown eyes. Her smile was wide and happy. Her dress reminded Cas of something a celebrity would wear to an awards show. It was a deep purple, very shiny, and went all the way to the ground. It wasn't tight, and wasn't cut low, which Cas actually liked, as it let him know Atara was likely on the modest side. He wasn't fond of girls who let everything be seen.

"Hi!" She shouted cheerfully. "How are you?"

"I'm Cas," he said, and then he wanted to slap himself because she'd asked how he was, not what his name was.

She didn't seem to mind, though, and laughed good-naturedly. Then her gaze settled on his chest and she laughed a little harder.

"Cas, did you know your tie is backwards?"

Cas looked down to realize that his tie was, in fact, backwards.

"Oops."

"Here, let me fix it," she said, coming over to fiddle with it. She managed to get it straightened out, and then she added, "I'm Atara, by the way. In case you didn't know."

"I did."

She smiled again. "Hey, I decided on an icebreaker question. I want to know what house you're in?"

Cas tilted his head, his eyes squinting in confusion.

"Hogwarts house," Atara clarified. "You know, from Harry Potter. I'm a huge fan."

"Oh, I see. I think… Ravenclaw, maybe?"

She nodded approvingly. "Yeah, you do seem like one. I'm a Hufflepuff."

Cas wasn't sure how to respond to that question, so he just said, "Cool."

Atara hugged him briefly before sending him inside, noting that she had loads more guests to greet.

…

Dean thought Atara was gorgeous. Though her curves were muted under her dress, he could tell she had a killer body. And she seemed really nice, too. He loved the question about Harry Potter. That was Sam's favorite book series growing up, and he'd ended up liking it too.

He told her he was a Gryffindor.

Then he went inside, only to find out he was the very first one there. He got himself some champagne and sat down on a couch, waiting for someone to talk to.

One of the other guys he rode with walked in, and Dean asked, "So what house are _you_ in?"

"Gryffindor. You?"

"Same."

They high-fived, and then started talking about why they would love being in Gryffindor, and who their favorite characters were. The guy's name was Benji.

The next guy from their car came in, and he was also a Gryffindor. His name was Paul. He and Benji got into an intense conversation about inconsistencies between the books and movies, and Dean ended up just sitting back to watch them.

The last person from their car looked super nervous, and he sat down a bit away from the three of them, without even picking up a drink.

Seeing as his two companions were occupied, Dean got up to talk to the new guy, who he noticed had very bright blue eyes.

"Hey, I'm Dean."

The man looked up. "I'm Castiel. But call me 'Cas'."

Dean wanted to laugh. "What kind of a name is 'Castiel'?"

"It's the name of an angel," Cas said with a frown.

"Whatever," Dean said with a light chuckle. "Hey, what house did you say you were in?"

"Ravenclaw."

"Ah. Odd man out." Dean gestured to the other two guys. "We're all in Gryffindor."

"Typical," Cas muttered under his breath.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'Typical'?"

Cas's eyes widened, like he hadn't meant to say that out load. "Well… it's just… everyone pictures themselves in Gryffindor. They tend to identify with the main character most, so they see themselves in his shoes, rather than imagining how they themselves would fit into that world. Men, in particular, call themselves Gryffindors because they want to be seen as brave. They see that as the most desirable trait, more desirable than kindness, intelligence, or creativity."

Dean's mouth parted in surprise. Apparently, blue-eyes was not as quiet as Dean thought. Then he scrunched his eyebrows together and asked, "Wait… creativity? What house is that? I thought Slytherin's thing was being cunning."

Cas sighed. "Sure, but what does cunning mean?"

"Uh… it's like… being sneaky or whatever. So you can get what you want."

"Eloquently put," Cas said sarcastically. "While you are correct that it is the ability to achieve one's ends through deceit and manipulation, that's not all there is to it. In fact, to be cunning, you must be creative. That is a better categorization for those in Slytherin. Creative and, of course, ambitious."

Dean didn't say anything for a minute, and then remarked, "You are such a Ravenclaw."

Cas looked back at him as if to say, _Obviously_ , but didn't actually speak. Just sat and stared. Dean finally turned away and went to find other people to talk to.

What a weird dude.

…

 _Twenty-five bachelors entered the mansion that night, and eight of them left at the end of it, leaving seventeen men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Castiel Novak_

 _Cody Baker_

 _Daniel Summers_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Donald Sun_

 _Drake Lyndon_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Matthew Brandon_

 _Mitchell Davies_

 _Paul Sanders_

 _Ryan Knight_

 _Scott Jiminy_

 _Stephen Alexander_

 _Trevor Weston_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **I'll be doing one chapter for every week the Bachelorette usually has, and the last chapter will be "The Men Tell All" (which, while it airs before week ten, is filmed quite a while afterward).**

 **Oh, and you might be wondering why I didn't include Dean and Cas's interactions with Atara during the cocktail party, but this chapter was getting long, so I'll be touching on it briefly in the next chapter.**

 **Updates will be every Monday**

 ***Which I picked of course because that's the same day new episodes of "The Bachelorette" air**

 **By the way, you'll find out more about Atara as this goes on. I took a bunch of elements from female influences in my life - both family and friends - and combined them to create her. (The men in this are inspired by the male influences in my life - mostly family, as well as a few crushes and one ex-boyfriend. With the obvious exception of Dean and Cas, who I have not met because, unfortunately, they are fictional characters.)**


	2. Week 2

_**Week 2**_

…

Dean didn't get to talk to Atara very long during the cocktail party, but he felt like they had a pretty decent conversation. He talked about his job as a mechanic and why he loves cars so much, though he didn't mention Sam or their dad just yet. He found out Atara was a speech therapist for kids because her best friend growing up had a lisp and got made fun of for it. She told Dean she got detention a few times for punching kids who did that, and it made Dean like her even more. He didn't get the First Impression Rose- that went to Matt- but that didn't matter. He was just excited to see Atara again.

Everyone was pretty excited for the date card to come. Dustin practically ran to the door when the knock signaled it had been slid under the door.

"It's the date card," a few of the men murmured excitedly.

Dustin held up the card, grinning, and then opened it while everyone else waited silently.

"Cas, Danny, Matt, Benji, Dean, Cody, Trevor, and…" Dustin grinned, "Me!… Let's have a ball."

A few of the guys oo-ed at the cheesy card, and Dean laughed.

"We must be playing basketball or soccer or something," he guessed, and the other guys nodded along.

The guys whose names were listed on the card scurried off to get ready, Dean included. He wasn't a fan of shorts usually, but California was a bit hotter than Kansas, and if they were going to be playing ball, he didn't want to be in jeans. He threw on an AC/DC shirt with the grey cargo shorts, deciding it could be his good luck charm.

Instead of Atara coming to get the eight of them, Chris Harrison escorted them to two gorgeous convertibles, one navy blue and one bright red. Chris told Danny, Matt, Benji, and Dustin to get in the blue car. Dean got in the red car with Cas, Cody, and Trevor. The ride over, they spent talking about their various sports experiences. Dean noticed that Cas didn't say really anything, just stared out the window. He guessed that blue-eyes was nervous.

They got to what looked like a high school, and Atara stood there in a tank top and shorts, grinning away.

"Hey guys!" she shouted over the rumbling car engines. "Care to join me?"

As all eight of them got out of the car, Chris Harrison suddenly appeared again, and Dean frowned. He wasn't exactly a regular viewer, but he knew that Chris being there meant bad news.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted. "I'm sure you're all wondering what I'm still doing hanging around. Well, I'm here to tell you what you're doing today. You're playing… dodgeball."

Dean could not have possibly smiled and wider. Dodgeball was _his game_.

"You'll be playing in teams, in the same two groups you came here. Team Red- Cas, Dean, Cody, and Trevor. And Team Blue- Danny, Matt, Benji, and Dustin."

A couple people high-fived their teammates.

"But there's a catch," Chris continued, and suddenly all was silent. "The team that wins gets to continue on to tonight's pool party. The team that loses goes back to the house immediately."

Dean didn't like that, but at least he knew he was good at dodgeball. He glanced at his teammates, wondering how they'd do.

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Have fun, and play hard."

Chris waved and then walked away, to whatever car he'd come in.

Everyone focused their attention back on Atara, who gestured to two boxes by her feet that Dean hadn't noticed before.

"I have your uniforms," she said in a sing-song voice. "Come on over!"

So each of the men stepped up to take a blue or red uniform, then followed Atara inside and to the changing rooms. She went out the doors to the gym while they got into their uniforms. The tops were striped their team's color and white, and the shorts were a little shorter than Dean would've liked. Still, he put it on and them prepared himself for the game.

Since there were only four members on each team, they played for best out of five games. The rules were no different than normal.

The first game went great for the Red Team. Trevor and Cody were almost as good as Dean, and even though Cas didn't have the best throwing hand, he dodged pretty well.

They won that round, and Trevor shouted, "We're RED HOT!" at the other team.

Dean thought that was crossing the line into _too_ cheesy.

The next game, the Blue Team fought harder, and won. At which point, Danny shouted over, "You may be hot, but we're too cool for you!"

Dean had to laugh a little at that one.

The Red Team won the next game, but the Blue Team took the one after that. The fifth and final round came, and they were tied. It was winner-takes-all.

Both teams got serious and played harder and better than before. The Red Team was winning, with Dean and Cas against Benji. Dean threw and… Benji caught it.

The Red Team groaned collectively. Dean was out, and now it was just Cas against both Benji and newly-resurrected Danny.

"Come on, Cas," Dean whispered.

The three of them stood without moving for a few seconds, and then Cas threw his ball towards Benji. For once, it was a perfect throw, but it didn't matter. A split second after it hit, Danny's ball his Cas in the hip. He didn't dodge in time.

The Blue Team cheered, and the Red Team walked towards Atara to say goodbye.

…

Cas knew he was going to ruin it for everyone else.

He was worried enough about a regular sport, but it just _had_ to be dodgeball. His worst childhood memories were of dodgeball tournaments in school gym classes, where a lot of the time he was targeted just for being different. Sure, he wasn't a kid any more, and he could dodge pretty well because of fencing, but still…

He felt terrible. When his team needed him the most, he failed them. They all sullenly changed back into their clothes and took the red convertible home, which suddenly wasn't as enjoyable as it had been before.

Cas had wanted to spend some more time with Atara too. They'd had fun during the cocktail party talking about books and Harry Potter, and Cas found out that Atara liked a lot of the same books he did. They also both had the same opinion on the Twilight Saga- that it was a good concept, but poorly executed. Cas really wanted to learn more about her. But he supposed he wasn't as eager as the other guys. He wanted to believe he'd be there long enough to learn more about her later, whereas they seemed to see getting to know her as urgent. Cas could understand that, given the time crunch.

When they got back to the mansion, Cody and Trevor went to go swimming, as it was especially hot out. Dean, however, just sat down on the couch and stared at the TV. Cas could tell he wasn't really paying attention, though, and it made him feel even worse. Dean was clearly amazing at dodgeball, and they probably would have won if Cas hadn't been on the team.

Cas hesitantly walked over and sat near Dean. It was quiet, except for the sounds of the men in the pool and, obviously, the TV.

After a few minutes, Cas looked back over at Dean and said, "Hey… I'm sorry we lost. You were so great and I messed it up for everyone. I should've been able to dodge that ball and I'm really, really sorry."

Dean looked over at him, surprise clear on his face. "No! Don't apologize! It's not your fault, man. It just happened. It was two against one, and the odds were against you."

Cas wasn't sure what to say to that. He glanced down at the couch, tracing his eyes over the pattern. A few seconds passed, and then he announced, "I'm going to make a sandwich. Do you want one?"

Dean looked a little confused by the sudden statement, but asked, "What kind?"

"BLT."

"Oh, Cool. Count me in."

Cas explored the mansion kitchen a bit and fixed two sandwiches. When they were done, he brought both plates over, handing one to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean said with a grin. He took a bite and then he closed his eyes and made a deep, satisfied noise. "This is delicious. If I was upset before, I'm definitely not now."

Cas smiled and took a bite of his own sandwich.

"You know, you should do this all the time. I bet it would work. Like, if your late to work, just lay an apology sandwich on your boss, and you'll be off the hook."

Cas started laughing at that and Dean did too.

"Interesting advice," Cas murmured after the laughing died out. "Maybe I will try it sometime. Hopefully, dodgeball will not be involved."

Dean took another bite of his sandwich and looked at Cas curiously.

"Hey, what's your beef with dodgeball? You don't seem to like it much."

"I got bullied a lot growing up," Cas admitted. "I was weird and dorky. Plus, I was in foster care, and kids just see something like that as a difference, something that makes you a target. That became especially noticeable with dodgeball."

"Ouch. Man, I'm sorry. That's a shitty thing for people to do."

Cas shrugged. "Kids will be kids. I work at a school now, keep this kind of bullying from happening if I can."

"You're a teacher?"

"Not exactly. I'm a fencing instructor at a private school."

Dean nodded appreciatively. "Fencing. Sweet. Like sword fighting, but without the death and dismemberment."

Cas stared and Dean chuckled at his expression.

"What I mean is, it's cool," Dean clarified.

"I see," Cas said. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a mechanic. Mostly old cars, but I can fix almost anything."

"Really?"

"Really. I'm a big fan of old cars. My dad had a '67 Impala. I inherited it a while back. My brother hates it because he's so tall that he always hits his head getting in. He also keeps trying to tell me it's not 'reliable', which is bull."

Cas nodded. "My brother Balthazar likes to tell me the same about my car, but I've had it for a long time and I don't want to get rid of it. It's the first car I ever bought, actually."

"What kind?" Dean asked.

"1978 Lincoln Continental, I believe. Gold."

Dean looked like he was suppressing a laugh. "Are you telling me you drive… a pimpmobile?"

Cas squinted at him. "I don't know what you mean by that."

Dean shook his head with an almost silent laugh. "Never mind. Not important. So is Balthazar your real brother or your adopted brother? Just curious."

"Oh. Well, neither actually. He was in foster care as well, and we were in the same group home for almost a year. His mother got him back once she quit drinking, and we didn't see each other for a few years after. I… well, I never had much of a family. My mother died in childbirth and my father abandoned me when I was three or four. I hardly remember him. I spent my whole life in the system."

"You never got adopted," Dean asked, looking sad.

Cas shook his head, "No. The only family I had were the other foster kids. I just started calling them sisters and brothers because that's what they were to me."

"Wow," Dean breathed. "And I thought I had it bad."

"What do you mean?"

Dean sighed. "My mom died when I was five. House fire. And my dad got in a car crash when I was 21. I quit college so I could take care of my brother. He was 16 at the time, and I didn't want to leave him alone."

"Have you ever thought about going back to college?"

"No. I love working on cars. College was a waste of time and money anyway. I was there for three and a half years, and I never declared a major. Couldn't decide on one. Sammy, on the other hand… well, he's always been the smart one. He went to Stanford, became a lawyer. I have to say I'm pretty proud."

"I'm sure he's grateful for all your help," Cas commented

Dean shrugged modestly and blushed a bit.

"If only Balthazar could manage a job like that."

"What does he do?"

"He owns a bar."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Until you figure in how many times I have to pick him up because he played drinking games with customers."

Dean snorted and broke into a long laugh.

"Oh man. He sounds like quite something," he said when he got a hold of himself.

"That's an understatement."

…

 _Seventeen bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and three of them left at the end of it, leaving fourteen men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Castiel Novak_

 _Daniel Summers_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Donald Sun_

 _Drake Lyndon_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Mitchell Davies_

 _Paul Sanders_

 _Ryan Knight_

 _Scott Jiminy_

 _Stephen Alexander_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **Again, I know I'm skipping a large chunk of the week as well as the cocktail party conversation Dean and Cas have with Atara, but I'm trying to limit how long these chapters go. The next one will talk more about Dean's relationship with her.**

 **BTW:** **I NEED YOUR HELP!**

 **Please leave me some ideas for dates and cheesy date cards, because I suck at coming up with them. If I like your idea, I'll PM you a sneak peek of the next chapter ASAP!**


	3. Week 3

_**Week 3**_

…

Cas and Dean were fast friends, and it turned out they actually had quite a bit in common. For instance, Cas knew he wasn't exactly up to date on popular culture, but he was obsessed with _Game of Thrones_. Balthazar had gotten him hooked on it. Dean had become a big fan after one of his customers had introduced him to the show. Even funnier, Cas knew the customer who'd introduced Dean to the show. Her name was Charlie, and they'd been in the foster system together. She was a fan of lots of things, and had been going to a convention of some kind when her car broke down and she ended up meeting Dean.

They also bonded over their love of old cars. Though Cas wasn't exactly a mechanic, he'd learned quite a bit from taking care of his car. Dean actually gave Cas some tips on how to tune his Lincoln up when it started running rough.

They had almost the entire week together, too.

Mitchell got picked for the first date. And neither of them were on the group date. That meant one of them would get a one-on-one date, and the other wouldn't get a date at all. Cas pushed that out of his mind, and just hung out with Dean.

Mitchell hung out with them during the group date, and he was a pretty funny guy, but he ended up leaving to go to bed before the date card came. It was still relatively early in the night, but Cas and Dean had been up late the night before talking about the latest _Game of Thrones_ cliffhanger, so Dean offered to make some coffee for the two of them.

Cas accepted the offer, and then suggested they make cookies while they waited for the date card.

Dean grinned and asked, "What about pie?"

Cas laughed. By now, he was well-aware of Dean's love of pie.

"Okay; deal."

While the coffee brewed, they discussed what flavor the pie should be. They searched the fridge and pantry to see what options they had, and they finally decided on cherry.

Dean wasn't a very good cook, but Cas didn't mind. It was fun to goof around and make a bit of a mess. By the time they put the pie in the oven, they were both covered in flour.

They cleaned up the kitchen first, and then themselves. Cas helped clean some flour from behind one of Dean's ears and they dusted themselves off. When everything was taken care of, they went back into the living room to wait for the date card to show up and for the pie to be ready.

"Hey, Cas?" Dean asked when they sat down.

"Yes?"

"I never asked before, but I'm wondering… why are you here?"

Cas raised an eyebrow. "I think that's kind of a given, Dean."

"No, that not what I mean. I mean, why are you still single? I told you about my dating experience… or lack of it. And I told you about what happened with Lisa. But you've never said anything about why you haven't found someone."

"Oh. Well I haven't dated much. I was always rather shy. In college I was mostly focused on my academics, so dates were rare. I've only ever had one serious girlfriend- Meg. I met her in my last year of college. We were very different, but that was never a problem."

"What happened?"

"She died. She was a security guard at a museum, and she got stabbed one night by some gang member. The police never figured out who."

"Oh God. I'm so sorry."

"That's when I moved in with Balthazar. He made me go out on a few blind dates, but those didn't go anywhere. I had a few short relationships. Nothing really stuck. I did finally meet a guy that I connected with, and we dated for a month or so, but it ultimately didn't work out. I do want to fall in love, though. Balthazar said I needed to 'put myself out there'. He signed me up for this show and I wasn't going to do it, but he changed my mind. So here I am."

"Wow." Dean hesitated and then asked, "Did you say you dated a guy?"

Cas blushed. "Uh… well, yes. I'm bisexual, actually. So I like guys and girls."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence, and then there was a knock on the door, meaning the date card was there. Dean jumped up to retrieve it, instantly slipping out of the envelope.

"It's for me," he said, after glancing to see what it said. "It says, 'I hope we can FIND love on this journey.' 'Find' is in all caps."

"Interesting," Cas remarked.

The oven beeped, and Cas watched a smile break across Dean's face.

"Pie!" he yelled, and he scurried into the kitchen.

Cas followed, and he grabbed plates and forks while Dean pulled the pie from the oven. Dean served them each a large slice and they sat together at the kitchen table.

Dean took a bite and then he noticed Cas watching him.

"I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about. And I don't care about your sexual orientation. It doesn't make you any less awesome."

Cas smiled, relieved. He'd lost friends before when they found out.

"Now take a bite of your pie, man," Dean said with a laugh. "It's fantastic!"

"Okay, okay." Cas brought his fork to his mouth and found that Dean had not been exaggerating. The pie had turned out fantastic.

The two of them managed to finish off the entire pie by the time the other men got back from the group date.

…

Dean was excited for his one-on-one with Atara.

He was definitely attracted to her, physically and emotionally. How could he not be? It was unsurprising that she'd been chosen to be the Bachelorette.

He wanted to get to know her better. I mean, he still hadn't told her about his family, and hadn't heard much about hers. All he knew was that she was a Speech Therapist and loved Harry Potter.

It was funny, because Dean and Cas knew each other better than Dean and Atara did.

Cas had turned out to be an amazing friend. Dean had worried about the men being all competitive, and he thought he'd end up miserable every moment he wasn't with Atara. But in fact, that was almost the opposite. Dean had so much fun being with Cas, he didn't get caught up in any drama, though there wasn't much so early on. Plus, every moment he spent with Cas was so natural and great, it kept him from feeling too edgy. Meanwhile, whenever he was with Atara, he was nothing but nervous and awkward. Hopefully, that would go away once he got to know her better.

When he saw her, he smiled nervously. She looked gorgeous, dressed in mostly black as usual. But the slightly gothic style suited her, and he was glad he was wearing something he felt good in.

Atara smiled back at him brightly. "Dean! Hi!"

They came together and hugged.

"Good to see you," Dean said.

Atara grabbed his hand and led him to…

"Is that what I think it is?"

"You said you liked classic cars."

Dean ran his free hand over the hood of the DeLorean with a dopey grin.

"Man. I always thought it'd be cool to have one of these."

"Me too," Atara agreed. "Mostly because of _Back to the Future_."

"I can't blame you for that," Dean remarked. "So, am I allowed to ask what we're doing?"

"Yes, you are. Well, we're not time traveling, but we are doing something pretty exciting. Do you know what geocaching is?"

Dean shook his head.

"Okay. Well, a geocache is a container filled with a few random objects and a little piece of paper. People hide them outside, in public areas, and their coordinates are put out. So geocaching is when you get those coordinates and try to find the cache. If you find it, you can take one thing out of it and put something else in to replace it. And you put your name and the date down on the paper."

"That actually sounds pretty fun," Dean said, nodding his approval. "It'll be interesting to try."

Atara's smile widened. "Awesome! Let's get to it then!"

Dean got in the passenger seat, and man, it was cool getting in and pulling the hatch down. He half-expected to see time travel controls in there.

Atara had an app on her phone that gave them some options, so they picked the closest cache in the "easy" category and Dean gave her directions while she drove.

They found ourselves in a neighborhood with a small park in the middle. It was pretty much empty.

They had a GPS to get them to the right coordinates, which landed them dead center in the middle of the park, in an area surrounded by trees.

Dean chatted with Atara while looking through bushes for anything out of place. Atara had never geocached herself, but she'd read a book where several characters did, and she thought it would be fun to try. They knew they were looking for something mid-sized, but it wasn't buried, just hidden.

After they'd searched the bushes pretty well, Atara asked, "Do you think it could be in the trees or something?"

Dean's eyes widened. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, we should check there."

She checked one tree and he checked another. It only took a few minutes to find a dark Tupperware container with an official-looking tag taped to it.

"You're a genius!" Dean shouted, snatching the thing off the branch and holding it out to her.

They snapped the top off and found a piece of paper inside with the heading, "Cache Log", plus a tiny pencil. There were also several large beads, a Canadian coin, a rubber snake, and a ghost-shaped eraser.

Atara pulled a bag from her pocket with some other random objects- a silver chain, three dog-shaped erasers, an extra-long rubber band, and two colorful marbles.

Dean took the ghost eraser from the cache and put in one of the dog erasers, while Atara picked out a crystal bead and put the silver chain in.

She told Dean to sign their names, since he'd found the cache, and he noticed some of the names were made-up titles or nicknames, like _Ashes to Dust_ and _The Whovians_.

He thought for a moment and wrote, _The Hunters (Dean & Atara)._

He showed her the entry, and she told him it was perfect.

They geocached a bit longer, sticking with "easy" caches, and they each collected a few more interesting artifacts. They stuck with the name Dean had come up with.

At the end of the day, they even made a geocache of their own, putting in it all the artifacts they'd collected as well as the last few things Atara had brought.

That night went wonderfully as well. Dean finally told Atara about Sam and about his parents, about everything he went through and how it changed him.

She also told him about her family. She was the second-youngest of five kids, and she was never particularly close with any of her siblings, though she wished she would have been. Over the years, she'd grown close with her younger brother, who came out to her as gay even before the rest of her family. Her parents were always pretty accepting and liberal, encouraging her and her siblings to find whatever suited them best, so it wasn't a problem. However, Atara admitted she'd always felt pressure to be successful, as both her parents were. Her dad was a pilot and her mom was an eye doctor, and they'd amassed a small fortune between the two of them. She said she sometimes wondered how much t6hat contributed to her desire to be a speech therapist, but always ended up deciding it didn't matter because she loved her job.

Dean asked her if she'd be interesting in moving at the end of the show, assuming she'd be engaged. She said that she didn't really want to move because she loved where she worked and lived, but would be willing to move as long as she loved the person. Dean told her that moving for him would be tricky because of his auto repair shop, but if he were able to sell the place, he could restart somewhere new. He would miss Sam, though.

All in all, it was a great date. They had fun geocaching, they had good conversation, and they even kissed a few times. Dean could have kissed Atara forever.

And yes, Dean did get a rose.

…

 _Fourteen bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and three of them left at the end of it, leaving eleven men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Castiel Novak_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Drake Lyndon_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Mitchell Davies_

 _Paul Sanders_

 _Scott Jiminy_

 _Stephen Alexander_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **I STILL NEED DATE IDEAS, TOO! THEY WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!**


	4. Week 4

**Sorry for the late update! I've not been in the writing mood the past few weeks.**

…

 _ **Week 4**_

…

When Dean came back from his one-on-one date with Atara, Cas felt a little off. He couldn't figure out what it was, but he felt strange looking at Dean sitting with all the other guys, talking about his date with a rose pinned to his lapel.

He recognized the feeling later, when he went to bed. It was jealousy.

But he wasn't jealous of Dean for getting to spend time with Atara; he was jealous of Atara for getting to be with Dean.

That was definitely not a good thing. He'd worried about the possibility of falling for one of the other men when Balthazar first told him that they wanted him on the show. But when he talked to Balthazar about it, his brother assured him that it wouldn't happen. I mean, he would be busy with Atara, plus since he knew all the other guys would be straight, he wouldn't be as inclined to fall for them. At the time, that made sense to Cas. He rarely developed particularly strong crushes anyway. He wanted to love someone's personality before anything else. That could be one of the reasons he hadn't found love.

Cas wasn't expecting someone like Dean, though.

He'd never met someone he felt such a strong connection with. Dean was caring, kind, and hardworking. He'd endured tragedy like Cas had, and he understood what it was like to be alone. He also felt just like Cas did about how important family was. He said his dad had a friend he called Uncle Bobby that always used the phrase, "Family don't end with blood." Cas told Dean that Bobby sounded like a wise man, and Dean replied that he'd always thought so.

Cas never meant to fall for him. He wasn't even looking for a friend in the house, it just… happened. And now he was completely screwed. Because, while it was rare that Cas fell for someone, when he did, his feelings didn't go away easy.

He hadn't felt that kind of connection with Atara yet. She was beautiful, sure, and fun to be around. But he wasn't sure the romance was there.

Still, he focused his attention at her during the cocktail party and they had fun together. And he got a rose. Then at the end of the ceremony, Chris Harrison announced that they'd be going to Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Cas packed up and hoped for the best the next week.

…

Dean wasn't exactly excited about the group date. After his one-on-one, he wasn't looking forward to seeing the other guys with Atara. But he'd survive. At least he had Cas.

Plus, they were in the Bahamas. What's not to like?

In any case, the date ended up being amazing. They went to the Atlantis hotel and explored some of the Marine Habitats. Even better was the end of the night, when they sat underground by a window, looking into Predator Lagoon. Then they all got the chance to inner-tube through an underwater tube running right through the exhibit. Honestly, it made Dean a little nervous zooming forward while surrounded by tons of sharks. It was fun though.

The best part of the night, though, was when Atara gave him the group date rose.

After the date ended and they got back to Hotel Riu, where they were staying for the week. But Dean noticed Cas was staring into space a bit.

"You okay?" he asked.

Cas looked back over at him and smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Just not a fan of sharks, you know."

"You're afraid of them?"

Cas shrugged. "I guess a little. They're as intimidating as they are interesting."

"You have a point there."

"I think it was the teeth that did it. That display of a Great White Shark's jaw was…"

"Terrifying?" Dean suggested with a smirk.

"Concerning."

"Sure, Cas. Whatever. Hey, you want to go out on the town tomorrow? I want to see the sights."

Cas smiled. "That'd be fun. Are we allowed?"

Dean gestured to the ever-present cameraman in the room.

"If not, I'm sure we'll be informed."

Cas laughed, and they said goodnight.

The next day, they got dressed, packed their swimsuits and some towels, and walked out on the town. The cameraman followed, but no one stopped them.

The island was beautiful. The beach was covered with white sand and the water was stunningly clear. It was also a little warm, but not so warm it wasn't refreshing.

After they'd been at the beach for almost an hour, Cas suddenly went, "Oh! Should we have invited the other men? I didn't even think of it."

Dean stretched out on his towel.

"Nah. They can come out if they want. It's not as fun hanging out with them as it is with you."

He turned his head to see Cas blushing, and stifled a laugh. The guy was so shy and bashful most of the time, it was kind of hard to picture him as a badass fencer.

"Hey, do you think you can teach me how to fence?" he asked curiously.

"Dean, we don't have equipment. We don't even have sabers."

"I know that," Dean said, rolling his eyes, "But like, later. After the show."

Cas sat up and looked at him. "After? You would still want to be friends with me after this ends."

"Of course. I like you."

Cas blushed again. "What about Atara?"

"You mean what if one of us ends up with her? Well, I'm not the jealous type. Not usually. So I'd be okay if you ended up with her. And if I did, I promise not to rub it in your face or whatever."

"I'm not usually the jealous type either," Cas told him. "And I also enjoy your company."

"Good to know," Dean said with a little laugh. "It'd be a shame if the whole time we've been hanging out, you've been hating me."

Cas picked up sand and threw it at Dean.

Dean moved, but it still hit his head. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "That's gonna take forever to wash out," he complained.

He grabbed a handful of sand and threw it toward Cas, but the man had already moved.

"It's ON!" he challenged, laughing.

They chased each other around a small section of beach, chucking sand at each other. They started using wet sand, as that would form into balls they could throw easier. Dean won the war, in his opinion. He finally caught Cas and pinned him to the ground.

"Gotcha," he said, before dropping a handful of wet sand onto the man's chest. He spread it around, and then got off Cas.

"Maybe we should go back now," Cas suggested. "I don't think my body can handle any more sand."

"Wimp," Dean joked.

"Assbutt," Cas replied.

Dean snorted, and a laugh exploded from him. "'Assbut'? Really? That the best you could come up with?"

Cas frowned at him, but his eyes told Dean the man didn't mind the joking.

"Alright, alright," he finally relented. "Let's go."

They packed up and went back to the hotel to hit the showers. When they got there, Cas sorted out whose towel was whose, and gave Dean his.

"Make sure you shake it out before you hang it," he reminded Dean.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean said dismissively. He went in the bathroom, and did what Cas has told him to. Something came flying out of the towel, though. A piece of paper.

 _Come to my room after you're done. Be discreet._

 _-Cas_

Dean guessed that meant he was supposed to ditch the cameras, or get there without them following. Cameras weren't actually allowed in bathrooms or bedrooms, but they could hang outside and record sound coming from the room. Dean wondered what Cas wanted to say to him that was so secret.

Well, he was about to find out.

…

It hadn't even been a week since Cas realized his feelings for Dean. But no matter how hard he tried to push them away, he couldn't. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that Dean was straight and this wouldn't amount to anything, he couldn't believe that.

And then Dean had to go and invite him out. It felt like… well, it felt like a date. Cas was having trouble figuring out whether Dean was flirting with him, or whether he was that was naturally. And then he was pinned to the ground and he wasted to kiss Dean more than anything. And Dean went and rubbed wet sand all over his chest and that was so arousing. Cas's heart was beating so fast and loud, he was worried Dean would notice.

By the end of the day, he decided he needed the truth. He didn't think Dean was really interested in him that way. But he wouldn't be able to let go of that little hope unless Dean rejected him. Which, by the way, he also really didn't want to happen. But better now than later. The longer Cas continued like this, the stronger his feelings would get, and the more heartbroken he would be later.

He wrote out a little note to give Dean, then decided to slip it in his folded towel so the cameras wouldn't notice. This was going to be bad enough without a cameraman filming them.

Cas took his shower quickly, hoping he'd gotten all of the sand out of his hair. Then he put on a t-shirt and lounge pants, sat on the end of his bed, and waited for Dean.

Dean did show up, which Cas supposed was a good thing. The taller man came and sat next to Cas on the bed.

"What's up?" Dean asked in a hushed voice. Not quite a whisper, just low enough not to attract attention.

"I…" Cas swallowed thickly and continued carefully. "I wanted to be honest with you about something. I didn't want cameras involved because… well, I'm embarrassed."

Dean put a hand on Cas's shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I promise not to tell anyone if you don't want me to. I'm a good secret-keeper."

Cas smiled at him nervously.

"Thanks. I didn't mean for this to happen. And by the time I realized it, it was too late to just ignore. I wish I could ignore it, but I can't. I just hope you don't hate me after."

"I could never hate you," Dean said gently.

Cas took in a deep breath. Dean's assurances were making him a little less anxious, but now he liked Dean even more, which made him dread the inevitable rejection even more.

"Thanks," he repeated. "So, it's like this. I don't know if I'm really interested in Atara. She's wonderful, but I see her more like a friend than someone I might want to marry."

Dean nodded. "That's okay. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"That's the thing. I'm disappointed that I haven't connected with Atara, but I don't feel guilty about it. Anyway, that's not why I wanted to talk to you. There's something else."

Dean waited patiently while Cas collected his thoughts.

"I think I am falling in love," he finally said. "But not with Atara. It's… it's you. I have feelings for you."

Dean's eyes went wide, and Cas stared into the green depths of them, waiting for some kind of reaction besides surprise.

When he couldn't find any, he gave into what he really wanted to do: kiss Dean. If nothing else, at least it would shock him out of his frozen state.

Cas gently grabbed the back of Dean's neck and pulled them together so their lips met. It was meant to be brief, but then Dean responded, moving his lips against Cas's slowly. It caught Cas by surprise, but he was definitely glad. He followed Dean's example, kissing back softly and relishing the feeling.

Finally, he pulled away. He opened his eyes and looked at Dean, whose eyes were trained on the floor. He slowly lifted one hand and touched his lips.

"I have to go," Dean murmured abruptly, and he got off the bed and left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him.

Cas just stared after him, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

…

 _Eleven bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and two of them left at the end of it, leaving nine men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Castiel Novak_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Drake Lyndon_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Mitchell Davies_

 _Paul Sanders_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **So yeah, that happened. And they're both still on the show. You'll find out more about all of that in the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll get back on track with my writing. (Reviews can help with that.)**

 **AND I STILL NEED DATE IDEAS IF YOU HAVE ANY! PLEASE LET ME KNOW!**


	5. Week 5

**I can't believe how long it's been since I updated.**

 **I started college in September and kept thinking I'd settle in and get back to routine. Time just flew by. Fall quarter ended, I went home for Christmas, and I was still too busy to write. Now, winter quarter has also passed, and I'm starting spring quarter. I managed to do a bit of writing over beak, just enough to get me started again. So I've started to just get going again, even though I have other things I have to do. I want to finish this story (and my others), and I don't want to let any of you down. It's been eating me up inside that I've left you all hanging for so long, and I cannot begin to express how sorry I am for that. This happened once before, with my first fanfic, and I swore I'd never let it happen again. I hate that I failed in that.**

 **In any case, this story will resume. I will be updating once a week, the same as before, on Mondays.**

 **Again, I'm so sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this story. I swear to you, I will finish it, and I won't leave you hanging again. However, once I finish this, I'll probably take a break from fanfiction for a while. I'll still write, but I don't think I'll start posting until I've gotten into a routine, or have a complete story already.**

 **-Joanna Jade**

 **BTW:** **VERY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD**

…

 _ **Week 5**_

…

Cas had always dreamed of seeing Italy, but he never thought that dream would become a reality. The nine remaining bachelors plus Atara and Chris Harrison had all packed up their stuff after the rose ceremony to fly to Tuscany.

Pretty soon after they had all settled in, the date card came.

And it was for Cas.

"Cas… will you be my _somebody to lean on_?"

All eyes turned to Cas and he shrugged. "I don't know what it means."

A few other men laughed and then started talking about various cheesy date cards, and how they always seemed so obvious afterwards.

Cas stole a glance in Dean's direction, but the green-eyed man wasn't paying him any attention. His eyes were focused out the window, though Cas wondered whether that was just a way to avoid eye contact with him. They hadn't really spoken since their kiss. Cas still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, why Dean had kissed back and then so quickly turned around and left him. If he had no feelings for Cas, why would he have kissed back? And if he did have feelings for Cas, why had he left so suddenly, why was he avoiding Cas now? Perhaps Dean wasn't even sure himself.

He'd decided to give it one last shot with Atara. She clearly saw something in him that she liked, and he wanted to explore his own feelings more. However, if it was a one-on-one date, he supposed it wouldn't really be his decision. She would either offer him the rose or she wouldn't. And if she did offer him the rose, he would take it. It would be horrible to go on a date and then leave right after, and he still felt like they could have something.

Cas got up plenty early the next morning to get ready. He showered and put on nice but versatile clothes. He stared in the mirror for a little while, wondering whether he should do something about his stubble. In the end, he just evened it out, but didn't get rid of it altogether. He kind of liked it.

Most of the other men had gotten up by the time Atara came to get him. She smiled and said a cheerful hello to each of them, and Cas made a mental note of how kind and considerate she was. It was a trait he admired.

"Ready to go?" she asked him.

He nodded mutely, but managed an accompanying grin.

The two of them left the hotel and got into the SUV waiting for them. It took them to…

"Is that a helicopter?"

"Yep. You won't believe where we're going."

They got out of the car and, after being fit with helmets and familiarized with the safety precautions, secured themselves inside the 'copter.

"It's beautiful," Cas murmured as they flew over the city.

"I can't believe this is real," Atara said. "I mean, less than two weeks ago we were just hanging out in the good ol' US of A. This feels like a whole different planet."

Cas raised an eyebrow at Atara and she corrected herself, "Well, not literally. It's just different. I live in Georgia. Not much excitement there."

"Illinois."

"What?"

"I live in Illinois. Other than Chicago, it's a pretty dull place. But it's home."

They landed not too long after that, and Cas could see an unmistakable shape in the background.

"The Leaning Tower of Pisa? We get to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa?"

"Ta-da!" Atara exclaimed happily. "Isn't this awesome?"

They walked together to see the building closer-up. On the way, Cas and Atara discussed various topics. First up came favorite TV shows and movies. Atara hadn't seen Game of Thrones, but she said she was interested in it and would gladly watch some with Cas. He found out she, surprisingly, liked documentaries. She said there was something charming about seeing something real, though she still greatly enjoyed fictional things. Cas also found out that Atara loved to knit, and had ever since her grandma taught her how as a little kid. He replied that, though he wasn't particularly artsy, he did like to cook.

When they got to the building, they just stared for a few minutes. It was so much stranger and more amazing in person than pictures could ever communicate.

Atara suggested they take a bunch of cheesy tourist pictures by it and produced a disposable camera from her bag. It wasn't the sort of thing Cas would usually do, but he ended up having fun posing as if he was propping his foot up on the giant structure, like he was pushing it down, and like he was holding it up. Atara posed for pictures too, and then they took some together.

They strolled around for a bit longer, just chatting. Atara saw a Chocolate Lab and let out an uncharacteristic "squee", asking if she could pet him. The dog's owner said she could, and that the dog's name was Garth.

She told Cas afterward that, as a total dog person, she couldn't help it. She wasn't allowed to have a dog in her apartment, but really wanted one. Cas replied that he'd always wanted a guinea pig.

Finally, night came, and they sat down to dinner. The conversation was more serious, and they started talking about what they wanted in a relationship. Atara talked a little about her relationships before the Bachelor, and why she thought it ultimately didn't work out with her season's Bachelor, Joel. When she'd finished, Cas started to tell her about his dating experience.

"I was a shy kid, you know that. I didn't start dating until college, and I didn't have a serious relationship until my last year. Her name was Meg. She was into the partying scene, and I wasn't, but I kind of liked that she "took me out of my comfort zone". I had some experiences with her that I would never have had otherwise. We dated for a year or so and we thought about moving in together, but then she… well, she died."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Atara said sympathetically.

Cas sighed. His memories of Meg were a mixture of happy and sad. He missed her sometimes, her little quirks and her silly nicknames for him.

"So, what about after Meg?" Atara was asking. "I mean, are you… still in love with her?"

"No. I've moved on. It took me a while though. I went on a lot of blind dates, had some casual relationships. But there was one…" Cas hesitated. He wasn't sure whether he should say anything about being bi.

"One what?" Atara prompted.

Finally, he realized how damaging it could be to keep secrets, and he decided to tell her.

"I guess I should pause the story briefly to explain. I'm… well I'm bisexual."

"Really?" Atara asked, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Yes. I guess I figured it out in high school."

"Was it hard?"

Cas shrugged. "Not really. I mean, it was a strange thing to understand, but there wasn't really anyone to judge me for it. I didn't feel the need to tell anyone then because they weren't exactly family and I didn't want to cause problems. I told Balthazar a little while after I moved in with him, and he doesn't have a problem with it. He's the only real family I have right now. I've told a few friends that I trust."

"I'm glad you told me," Atara said with a slight smile. "Not because it changes things- because it doesn't- but because it means you trust me."

Cas smiled at that.

"So- what you were saying before- you dated a guy after Meg?"

"Yes. The only serious relationship I've had since her was with a man named Corbett. But he was still in love with his friend Ed. And even though he knew it would never happen, he couldn't get over it. So it didn't end up working out between us. I've been on a few dates since then, but no relationship has lasted more than a few weeks."

"I know the feeling," Atara said with a sigh.

Instinctively, Cas took her hand, and she looked up at him. He held out his champagne glass and said semi-sarcastically, "To being unlucky in love."

She laughed and picked up her own glass, clinking it against his. "To being unlucky in love."

They each took a drink from their respective glasses. Then, once they'd set them down, they got caught up in each other's eyes and leaned into a kiss, pressing their lips together.

It was a good kiss- a great kiss. Atara's lips were soft against Cas' and when he put his hand on her cheek, it was smooth.

And yet his fingers longed to brush along a stubbly jawline and slide into short ash blonde hair. He wanted something else. Some _one_ else.

Cas pulled away from Atara and she smiled. He smiled back, but his stomach sank. He felt like a fraud sitting there with her. Sure he _liked_ her. But would he ever long for her the way he longed for Dean?

…

As much as he didn't want to think about the blue-eyed man, Dean couldn't get Cas out of his head. He kept dreaming about those lips, those eyes, what it would feel like to thread his fingers into Cas's messy dark hair.

Those were not heterosexual thoughts.

But he couldn't do anything to stop them. He stopped being around Cas, hoping that would help, but it only made him want Cas more.

When he heard that Cas got the one-on-one, he was jealous. But he wasn't sure who he was more jealous of- Atara or Cas.

What the hell was going on with him?

Dean had always dated women, always lusted after women. How could he be anything but straight?

Except… maybe that wasn't true. During the week between his kiss with Cas and his next date with Atara, he started remembering things he hadn't really thought about before.

For instance, that time he gave this girl advice on how to flirt with a guy. He'd thought he was just telling her what would work on him but what if…?

And when Dean was drunk, he flirted with both girls and guys. He'd always thought he was just a "flirty drunk", but what if…?

And he admittedly had a sort of gay crush on Dr. Sexy. He'd always written it off as an "if I had to bang a dude" thing but what if…?

And he pretended to date his guy friend Ash in college on a dare. It went on for over a month, and they kissed quite a bit, and not exactly innocently. He said it was all for that $50 but what if…?

What if he'd just been making excuses this whole time?

What if…

What if Dean was bisexual?

He considered this before the group date, and then for a while he forgot, as he was too busy enjoying being with Atara. Then, the second he got back to his room, those thoughts came flooding back, along with the image of Cas's face when he said he had feelings for him.

Maybe he should talk to Cas.

He knew where Cas's room was here. He'd passed it once while Cas was coming out.

The night before the cocktail party and rose ceremony, he finally got up the nerve to do it, though he still wasn't positive what he'd say.

Standing outside Cas's door, heart pounding, he wondered whether he should knock. It would be the polite thing to do, but he didn't want to alert any camera crew. He ended up just tapping lightly on the door a few times and then he let himself in.

Cas's head jerked up when his door opened, and his eyes widened. "Dean?"

"Hey," Dean said simply, shutting the door carefully behind him. He hesitated there, wondering if it would be okay to sit next to Cas on the bed.

"Can I…?" he asked, gesturing to the spot.

Cas looked next to him and back at Dean.

"Oh. Sure, you can sit."

"Thanks," Dean said, and then he moved to join Cas.

They stared at each other for a moment, and Dean, having lost some of his nerve, commented, "Atara gave you a rose."

"She did."

"So… do you feel… differently? I mean… you know…?"

Cas shook his head. "I still don't feel a particularly strong romantic connection with her, if that's what you mean. I'm going to give it one more week. I'm not sure exactly what's missing, and I do enjoy being with her, so perhaps we just need time."

"What about…" Dean swallowed thickly, "What about what you said last week? About… about… me?"

Dean could see the pain in Cas's eyes.

"That hasn't changed either."

"Oh." Dean paused. "Cas… I… I'm sorry. For what I did last week. The… the running out and not explaining thing, not the…" he bit his lip. "Well… you know."

Cas tilted his head curiously.

"I've been… thinking… this past week. A lot," Dean continued clumsily. "And I… I…"

He drew in a deep, frustrated breath at his lack of words. Then he opened his mouth again, but no words came. Suddenly, all he could see was Cas's lips. His very kissable lips.

Without warning, he lurched forward, grabbing Cas's head and pulling them together in an uncoordinated kiss. His heart was beating furiously as their lips crashed together, as Cas instantly melted into him, as he felt the blue-eyed man's hands wrap around him. He let the tip of his tongue slide across Cas's bottom lip and their lips parted together. Cas's tongue slipped into Dean's mouth and Dean's tongue slipped into Cas's.

Dean felt like he was going to explode… from what, he wasn't sure. The combined excitement and relief of finally kissing Cas again after dreaming about it for a week was making it hard to think or even breathe. He finally pulled away because his head was spinning so much, and because he needed oxygen.

"Dean," Cas gasped. "What…?"

"I think I'm bisexual," Dean panted. And, just like that, it was out.

Cas's eyes widened considerably and he asked quietly, "Are you sure?"

"I've been thinking about it all week. And… given…" Dean waved his hand between the two of them, "… _this_ , I would say I'm pretty sure."

"And you have feelings for me?" Cas asked, and Dean could hear the hope in his voice. He wondered if Cas thought Dean was just using him to experiment or something.

"Yeah, Cas. I have… feelings… for you. I do. But…" Dean frowned. "I… have them for Atara too. I don't know which feelings are stronger right now… this is all so new and confusing and I wish I could tell you something more… I don't even know… Damnit, my head hurts."

Cas put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "It's okay. I don't expect you to have it all figured out right now. Just… please let me know when you do."

Dean could tell Cas was scared that Dean would choose not to be with him. And Dean was scared too- scared that he'd end up making a mistake he'd regret later. His heart was telling him it was Cas, of course it was Cas, but his mind wasn't as sure. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment making his feelings extreme, blowing them out of proportion.

He supposed he'd follow Cas's example.

One week.

He'd give his feelings one week to settle, and then he would choose. He only hoped he'd choose right.

…

 _Nine bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and two of them left at the end of it, leaving seven men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Castiel Novak_

 _Dean Winchester_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Paul Sanders_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **Apologies for the super long chapter. I just couldn't stop writing- there was so much to be said. The next chapter will probably also be pretty long. Hopefully you guys don't mind all that much.**


	6. Week 6

**LONG CHAPTER AHEAD**

…

 _ **Week 6**_

…

This week, they were all in England, in a town called Cardiff. Dean thought it was pretty, though a bit colder than he was used to.

He and Cas had started spending time together again. It was kind of like before, but different, considering their feelings for one another. They just mimicked their previous platonic relationship for the sake of everyone around them.

Dean wanted to slip into Cas's room at night, to kiss him like there was no tomorrow. But he'd done that their first night in Cardiff. The sneaking into Cas's room, at least. Cas told him that, while he was just as eager for that physicality, he didn't think it was a good idea. He didn't want to "confuse" Dean, so he forbade kissing until Dean had made up his mind. Dean still visited Cas every night, just to hold his hand.

They both ended up on the group date. Which, honestly, Dean though was a little awkward. They carefully avoided one another during the date, focusing on Atara instead, but it was still a little weird.

At the end of the date, while hanging out at an indoor pool, Dean decided to go find Atara, to spend some alone time with her.

He had to make a decision. He had been worried that the initial rush of being with Cas might blind him to what he really wanted, but now that that had settled somewhat, he thought he might be able to make a reasonable decision. He just needed to be with Atara for a while to be able to make that final decision.

Dean rounded a corner to find Atara and Cas sitting together, sharing a kiss.

His insides burned, jealousy coursing through his veins. But before he could turn to leave, the two people before him pulled apart, lips making a soft sound that filled Dean's brain with angry static.

Atara noticed him first, and she greeted him right away. "Oh, hi Dean!"

Cas's head swiveled and his blue eyes found Dean's green ones.

"Dean," he said simply. But just that one word, hearing Cas say his name, made a burst of butterflies explode in Dean's stomach.

He tore his eyes away from Cas and looked at Atara.

"Hi. Mind if I steal you for a bit?"

She glanced at Cas to make sure he wouldn't object, and then replied, "Of course not. Lead the way."

She stood and they walked together to another quiet area. They spent ten or fifteen minutes talking before another bachelor interrupted, but that was enough.

Dean had made his decision.

…

Cas felt kind of down after the group date. He still hadn't felt anything besides friendship for Atara, which meant he'd be leaving before the next week. On top of that, Dean still seemed interested in Atara, and Cas knew he'd choose her. He'd "been straight" his whole life, why change now?

He sat on his bed, thinking over all of this, and trying not to let the disappointment get any worse than it already was.

When Dean stepped into the room, Cas tried to still his excitement. He hadn't expected a visit so soon after a date, and wasn't prepared to see Dean again.

"Hi," he murmured weakly. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

Dean gave an aggravated sigh. "Yeah, I just… I wasn't going to come, knew it'd make things awkward. But I started thinking, and I knew I wouldn't sleep until I talked to you."

Cas felt dread trickle down his spine. Dean was rejecting him, just like he knew he would.

"Tonight…" Dean continued slowly, still standing by the door, "Tonight was hard. Seeing you and Atara… I know I said I wasn't a jealous person but I can't stand seeing you with her."

"At least you know I don't have feelings for her," Cas replied bitterly. "I, on the other hand, am forced to watch the man I have feelings for go off with the girl he has feelings for."

"I hadn't thought about it that way."

 _Clearly_ , Cas thought.

"I'm sorry Cas. I didn't mean to… well that wasn't what I came here to say. I was leading up to… I came here to tell you that… I don't have feelings for Atara anymore. Only for you. I want you."

Cas could swear that his heart stopped at those words. He opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Dean added after a few moments of silence. "The show, I mean."

"Are you… are you saying you're going to come out on national TV."

Dean bit his lip. "It's not ideal, but yeah. I want to be with you, Cas."

Cas couldn't contain the wide grin that spread across his face as he leapt off the bed, catapulting forward toward Dean, nearly falling on his face in the process. He threw his arms around the blushing green-eyed man and pulled him closer.

Their lips connected and Cas never wanted them to separate. His hands moved restlessly over Dean's body, while the other man's hands slipped into his hair. Finally, one hand settles on Dean's hip, the other on his ass. Dean certainly didn't seem to mind, only pressing closer to Cas as their tongues tangled together.

A moment later, Dean pulled away, leaving Cas rather disappointed, but that feeling vanished as soon as Dean's mouth moved to his neck, licking and sucking there.

"Dean," Cas breathed, almost a moan.

But unfortunately, something inside was nagging at him. For some reason, part of him had a problem with this. Cas tried to think, to figure out why he shouldn't keep going, let this take its natural course.

It was difficult, but he did figure it out.

Three reasons:

1\. Though this wasn't exactly a first date, it was early. Cas didn't usually sleep with people right away.

2\. Dean was new in his sexuality. While he might technically know how things would work in the bedroom, they should probably talk about it so he understood exactly what it entails.

3\. They were still on "The Bachelorette".

Damn.

Reluctantly, Cas moved his hands to Dean's chest and gently pushed him away.

"Not here. Not now. It wouldn't be right."

Dean sighed heavily, but nodded his agreement. "Yeah. You're right. We need to talk to Atara."

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

"No point in putting off the inevitable," Dean answered with a nervous laugh.

"That's true. Do you know what you want to say?"

"Uh… I was hoping you might have some ideas."

…

Dean was absolutely terrified to tell Atara what was going on. He really didn't want to hurt her, but he figured the truth was still best. Lies ultimately cause more pain than most anything else.

He and Cas talked about how best to break the news, and Cas offered to do most of the talking, which Dean was grateful for.

They walked out of the room together and alerted the nearest cameraman that they were going to go talk to Atara. The man quickly scooped up his camera and followed them to Atara's room, all of them silent. It was the same cameraman who'd accompanied the pair to the beach, and he was kind enough not to ask them to do an interview beforehand, though he did ask them to pause outside Atara's door to quickly explain what was going on.

"Dean and I have made a decision to leave the show, and would like to explain to Atara why that is," Cas said bluntly. "We felt it would be inconsiderate to wait until the Rose Ceremony to do so."

Dean's stomach turned on itself, but he took comfort in the confidence Cas exuded. Whether or not Cas actually knew what he was doing, he certainly looked like a man with a plan. Dean wondered if that was, perhaps, because he'd already been planning on leaving. Maybe he'd already rehearsed this speech.

Cas knocked, and at first, there was no answer. But when he tried again, Atara came and answered the door.

Her hair was a bit messy, and her sleepy expression made it obvious enough that she'd been asleep, but she greeted them casually, as if it was a normal afternoon, "Hi, guys. What's up?"

"We need to talk to you about something important. May we come in?" Cas asked.

"Of course," Atara said, pushing the door open and inviting them in. She held it open for the cameraman, who she honestly didn't seem surprised to see at all.

The three of them stepped into a small seating area just inside the door. Atara had been given a large suite, so her room was far more spacious than theirs and accommodated them with no problem.

Atara was in one of the two armchairs, and Cas sat on the small couch, which Dean thought was actually called a "loveseat". He hesitated, then sat with Cas.

"So what's this about?" Atara asked. She was concerned, but masked it with her curiosity.

"It's a long story," Cas warned, "And I'll have to start from the beginning."

"Okay."

"Almost three weeks ago, I started doing some thinking. You know I didn't sign up for the show myself, but decided to try it, even though I was skeptical. As I was reflecting, I realized something."

Atara cocked her head to the side curiously, much like Cas often did. Dean thought that was a bit ironic.

"Getting to know you has been absolutely amazing. I really enjoy spending time with you whenever we're together. But I realized that there was something missing- the romance."

Atara's eyebrows drew together, confusion evident on her face.

"You are beautiful, and a wonderful person. But I came to realize that I didn't feel a romance between us. I saw you as a friend, a great friend, but not as a potential wife."

"I'm not sure I understand… are you… leaving?"

"Yes," Cas said.

Atara's eyes flicked over to Dean, still confused, and he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I'm sure you're wondering why Dean's here. That brings us to the second part of my story."

Then, slowly, Cas's hand moved from off his lap, settling on top of Dean's hand. Dean looked over at him nervously, and Cas smiled slightly. Dean turned his hand over so that his fingers could link with Cas's.

"Oh my God."

Dean looked back up at her. Her eyes were flicking to Cas, to Dean, and to their hands, and she seemed to realize what it meant, and yet was unable to make sense of it.

"Dean and I have been friends since the second week. I've been able to tell him some things that I have not said to anyone else, not even in interviews. And I have spent a lot of time with him. About the same time I realized that I did not have feelings for you, I realized that I _did_ have feeling for someone else- him."

Cas paused, letting her absorb that information. Then he continued.

"I was sure he wouldn't feel the same, but I had to know for sure. So I got him away from the campus and told him how I felt."

"And?" Atara prompted.

Cas looked over at Dean, asking with his eyes if he wanted to explain what happened then.

"I freaked out," Dean said quietly. "I freaked out, and I left."

"Oh."

"The next week, I focused on you. I wanted to have a romantic connection, so I went searching for it. I thought perhaps we just needed time. Meanwhile…" he trailed off and looked at Dean again.

"Meanwhile I was still freaking out. I was… I _thought_ I was straight. But I kind of realized that wasn't the case. I'm… I'm bisexual. And I realized I had feelings for Cas too. I went back and told him at the end of the week. But I still had feelings for you, and I was… conflicted."

Cas picked up the story again. "I decided to give all of this one more week, as did Dean. It was my last attempt to find a romantic connection with you, and his attempt to sort out his feelings. After today's group date, I knew I wouldn't be staying."

"I didn't know until the group date what I was doing, either," Dean added. "But after, I was sure. I… I like you. But not like I like Cas." He felt his cheeks heat up.

"Dean visited me an hour or two ago to tell me he'd made his decision," Cas finished. "And we realized it would be better to do this now and not keep secrets or waste your time. We're both leaving."

"Wow," Atara said, wide-eyed. "I had no idea… I guess I'm happy for you guys? I should probably be heartbroken or something. Maybe I will be later. I mean, I'm sad to see you go, obviously, but… from what you're saying, it never would have worked out with either of you. It's better that I find that out now. And now I don't have to figure out who to send home this week, which is a relief."

She was taking the whole thing better than Dean had expected, and from the look on Cas's face, he guessed Cas was thinking the same thing.

"Should I walk you out?" Atara asked.

Dean shrugged, and Cas told her that he'd love that.

The three of them walked out to a waiting black SUV, Dean and Cas still holding hands. They only let go when they went to hug Atara goodbye.

"I hope you find your happy ending," Cas said.

"Me too," Dean added lamely.

Atara smiled sadly. "I hope you guys find the same."

It was a bittersweet moment. But it was time to get in the SUV and leave, so they weren't left to dwell in that moment.

Dean and Cas waved goodbye from the car as Atara disappeared from view. Then Dean turned around to find Cas grinning at him, and he couldn't help but grin back. As if magnetized, they drew together, lips connecting for a final time during their time on the show. It was long but sweet, more chaste than their last two kisses because that time, a camera was pointed at them.

The secret was out.

…

 _Because Dean Winchester and Castiel left voluntarily, all five remaining bachelors attending the Rose Ceremony that week stayed to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Keith Grace_

 _Paul Sanders_

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **And I want to know-** **Do you want to keep hearing what's going on with Atara?** **(Like, brief updates at the end of each chapter.) Or do you want to just find out the final two in the "The Men Tell All" chapter, and then who she picks in the "After the Final Rose" chapter?**


	7. Week 7

**So this chapter isn't so much a** _ **week**_ **as it is the** _ **beginning**_ **of that week. You'll get a lot more in the next chapter, I promise.**

…

 _ **Week 7**_

…

As the black SUV drove away from their former lodging, Dean began wondering where exactly he and Cas were going. No one really knew what happened after people left the show. Maybe they'd be send straight home. Or maybe they'd be detained a few days.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that he and Cas might be separated. He frowned and looked over at their entwined fingers, trying to take comfort in the fact that, at least right now, they were together.

The car slowed to a stop and parked at a collection of condos.

There was a knock on the car door, and Dean turned to see Chris Harrison there, motioning for them to come out. Cas squeezed Dean's hand reassuringly, and then let go so he could get out of the car. Dean followed suit.

"Hey guys," Chris said gently. "I heard a little about what happened from the crew. It took a lot of courage to do what you two just did."

"It was the right thing to do," Cas said.

Chris smiled at them.

"Well, as you may have guessed, I'm here to talk to you about where you're going next. But before I do that, I want to make sure you both remember the terms of the confidentiality agreement you signed before the show."

"We've got to lay low and not give out spoilers," Dean said.

"We're only permitted to contact family members and close friends until filming is complete," Cas added.

Chris nodded. "Good. And, to clarify, you are allowed to tell the people closest to you that you didn't end up with Atara, but not what week you stayed until or who was left."

"What about us?" Dean asked. "Are we allowed to tell out families about us? I mean, I'd rather my brother hear all of this from me."

"Yes, of course you can tell your families," Chris replied. "And the 'Week Six' episode won't air for another two months so you have plenty of time."

Dean smiled, relieved.

"Now that that's settled, I can show you to your rooms. You'll be staying at this resort for the next three weeks in one-bedroom condos. All expenses have been paid for. After the three weeks are up, you'll be flown back to your homes."

"Could we…" Cas asked quietly, "Would it be possible for us to stay together?"

He looked over at Dean, searching for approval, and Dean nodded agreeably.

Chris laughed. "I have never been asked that before. But I suppose the answer is yes, you can stay together if you want. And you will be allowed to stay in contact when you return home as well."

Dean grinned at Cas, who smiled back at him.

"I'll need a few minutes to alter the arrangements so you'll have one condo with two rooms instead of two condos with one room each."

"Great," Dean said. "That's perfect."

"If you'll both take a seat over here," Chris continued, gesturing to a stone bench, "I'll go work things out in the office. Or you can come inside, if you prefer."

"Here is fine," Dean said. Then he sat with Cas on the bench, watching Chris walk off. He felt Cas's hand settle over his and he sighed happily.

They sat quietly until Chris came back to show them to their living quarters.

The place was bordering on lavish with its fabrics and gorgeous antiques, and the rooms were quite large. The kitchen was large and modern, and Dean couldn't help but imagine cooking in there with Cas, maybe having a food fight and getting covered in four and sugar. He could see Cas's dark hair turned gray by the powder, and the man trying desperately to get it out.

"What are you smiling about?" Cas asked curiously, snapping Dean back to reality.

"Cooking," Dean said simply.

Cas gave him that squinty-eyed look he got when he knew he was missing something, but Dean didn't elaborate.

Chris gave the two men his phone number in case they had any questions, as well as a gift card to a nearby grocery store so they could buy whatever food they'd need during the week. Then he bid them good luck and was gone.

When the door shut, it occurred to Dean that they were alone together, with no risk of being interrupted, and no more ties to Atara. He looked over at Cas, whose blue eyes glittered with playful delight.

Dean took a step toward the man and leaned down just slightly, capturing Cas's lips with his own. His hands found Cas's waist and he felt Cas throw his arms lazily around Dean's neck. Dean supposed it was nice to not feel rushed, and to not have some reason he couldn't kiss Cas.

The next two weeks were going to be great.

…

 _Five bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and one of them left at the end of it, leaving four men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

 _Paul Sanders_

…

 **REVIEW!**


	8. Week 8

_**Week 8**_

…

Dean had been staring at the same news article for the past ten minutes, tapping his pen nervously. Cas rolled his eyes at the telltale behavior.

They'd flown back to the U.S. three days ago, and Chris had set them up in a condo again. He'd said that normally, people that left the show would stay around three weeks in whatever city they happened to be eliminated, but due to their "special circumstances", and since Dean had wanted to talk to Sam in person, they were allowed to spend their second and third weeks in Topeka, Kansas, just half an hour from Dean's hometown.

But Dean hadn't even called Sam yet.

Cas reached a hand across the table and closed his fingers over the end of Dean's pen, stopping its motion. The green-eyed man looked up at him.

"Dean, I'm sure everything will turn out all right. Just call him."

"What?"

"You're feeling guilty that you haven't talked to Sam yet, but you're too nervous to just do it," Cas said, interpreting Dean's behavior perfectly. "You shouldn't be, though. I haven't met him, but from what you've said, I don't think he'll react badly. You should just call him. You'll have to eventually."

Dean sighed. "Yeah…" he admitted slowly, drawing the word out while he thought. Apparently, he had no good reasons not to call, so after a brief pause, he asked simply, "Do you know where my phone is?"

Cas grinned and spring up to retrieve the old Nokia from the end table in the living room.

He handed the device off to Dean and said, "I think I'll go take a walk, give you some privacy."

But as he turned to go, Dean's hand shot out and grabbed Cas's wrist.

"Stay," he beckoned. "Please."

Cas's heart stuttered, and a sense of belonging flooded him. He was wanted here.

He was loved.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but nonetheless welcomed.

As you wish," he said, tenderness evident in his words.

He sat down next to Dean again, but not before giving the man a quick peck on the lips. Dean took Cas's hand, threading their fingers together, and Cas gave him an encouraging smile.

And Dean typed Sam's number into the phone.

…

Dean's heart thumped harshly as he pushed Sam's doorbell. Despite Cas's reassurances, he was still extremely nervous about telling Sam all that had happened.

Sam's wife Jess answered the door. Sam had proposed to her the day they graduated from law school, and they were married six months later. That was a little over a year ago.

"Dean! So good to see you!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.

Dean grinned back. "Hey, Jess. You been taking good care of my little brother?"

"Of course."

Dean stepped inside while she called out, "Sam! Dean's here!"

"Be right there!" Sam called bac from somewhere else in the house.

Dean plopped down on the couch, and Sam walked in a moment later, slinging an arm over his wife. He pecked her on the cheek and asked, "You headed out?"

"Yeah. I need to get some groceries and I wanted to let you guys have some brother time."

She ruffled Sam's hair and bid Dean goodbye before heading out the door.

Admittedly, Dean was glad to be able to talk to Sam alone first. He had no problem with Jess knowing, it was just that this seemed like it should be a one-on-one conversation.

Sam clapped Dean on the shoulder and sat down across from him. "It's good to see you, man. How've you been?"

"I've been… good, I guess. It's been pretty crazy." Dean paused, collecting his thoughts. "I didn't end up with Atara. And I'm okay with that. I actually chose to leave. See, there's… there's something that I learned about myself when I was on the show."

Sam looked interested, and raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for Dean to continue.

Dean swallowed roughly, and decided to get it over with.

"I'm bisexual," he stated bluntly, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Sam opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he simply said, "Oh." His face was a mixture of surprise, confusion, and curiosity.

There was a long pause after that where Dean waited to see how Sam would process this information. Finally, Sam asked, "How do you know? I mean, what made you realize?"

Dean bit his lip, and a blush crept into his cheeks. "His… his name is Cas. Er… Castiel," he murmured, a small smile spreading despite his attempts to stop it. "I met him on the show."

A look of understanding crossed Sam's features, and a sly smile overtook his features. "Ooooohhhh," he remarked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Dean remembered that look. Sam used to do this when they were kids and Dean had a crush on a girl.

"So what's he like?" Sam prodded.

Dean blushed again, and his heart fluttered. "He's… god, he's amazing. He's been through a lot, you know? He gets what it's like to feel alone. He was a foster kid, and never got adopted. Never had a real family. But he doesn't let it get him down. He's a really good person. Kind. Understanding. Honest. Easy to talk to. And he's bi too. We sort of became friends, and then…"

Dean bit his lip again, thinking about Cas and his lips and his blue _blue_ eyes and how soft his hair was and how much he cared about him.

He pulled himself out of the daydream and finished, "We left the show together. Told Atara what happened, and she was really cool about it. Chris set us up in a condo together for now."

Sam was grinning like crazy now, and Dean gave him a confused look.

"What?" he asked.

Sam laughed. "Nothing. It's just... I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. Do you…" he hesitated, then continued, "Do you love him?"

Dean was taken aback at the question.

"I… I don't really know. But…" he blushed. "I've fallen for him pretty hard."

Sam grinned again.

"So," Dean asked, "You're… okay? About all of this?"

"Of course," Sam said, "Why wouldn't I be? You're my brother, and I want you to be happy. And you are. That's all there is to it."

A relieved smile split Dean's features. "Thanks. I'm really glad you're so… you. And, by the way, it's okay if you tell Jess."

Sam nodded, then asked, "Will we get to meet him? Castiel?"

"I don't see why not," Dean answered.

…

"What if they don't like me?" Cas asked nervously.

Dean laughed. "Cas, we are five minutes away from their house. It's a little late to bail. And they'll _love_ you. You've got nothing to worry about."

Cas let out a nervous sigh and looked out the taxi window, trying to settle his nerves. He felt Dean put a hand on his thigh reassuringly.

They reached Sam's house shortly, and Cas got out of the car. The taxi pulled away, and Dean closed the distance between the two of them, kissing Cas so fiercely that his worries were forgotten. For a moment, Cas forgot where they were at all, lost in the joy of Dean, aware only of Dean's mouth on his and Dean's arms around him, holding him tight.

Then Dean pulled away and took Cas's hand, leading him to the door.

Dean rung the doorbell, and Cas looked at their entwined fingers, deciding that to be so open with the display of affection, Dean must be pretty sure that Sam and his wife would be accepting.

A surprisingly tall man with long, shaggy brown hair answered the door.

"You must be Castiel," he remarked with a smile, looking at Cas. His eyes flicked down to Dean and Cas's hands and his smile grew.

"Call me Cas."

"Of course," Sam said with a nod. "Come on in, Cas."

Dean and Cas stepped into the house, hands still linked.

A smiling blonde woman greeted the two of them inside, and introduced herself as Sam's wife, Jess. She led them to the kitchen, where she'd put together a small meal.

They ate dinner together and chatted, and Sam and Jess were very welcoming. They were amazingly kind toward Cas, and he already began to feel like a part of the family.

When it was time to leave, Cas thanked them for having him, and Jess told him, "You're basically family now. You are always welcome here."

There was so much love behind the statement that Cas was rendered nearly speechless. Finally, he managed to reply, "Thank you. I would be proud to be part of your family."

Dean squeezed his hand and Cas felt his heart burst with warmth and happiness.

He remembered something that Dean had said once.

 _Family don't end with blood._

And in that moment, he felt he understood it more than he ever had before.

…

 _Four bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and one of them left at the end of it, leaving three men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Benji Columbus_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

…

 **REVIEW!**


	9. Week 9

_**Week 9**_

…

Dean woke up in a seemingly unfamiliar room.

It took a few moments for the sleepy confusion to clear, and Dean almost laughed at the fact that, even for a few moments, he'd forgotten the events of last night. He looked over at Cas's sleeping form and grinned.

Cas had been cautious to move too quickly too fast, which Dean understood. Plus, due to his inexperience with guys, he was a bit nervous. A few days ago, the two men had talked about the reality of their future bedroom activities, and Dean had taken some time to think. He'd finally decided to let Cas take the lead, even though the idea terrified him. It was very much opposite of his usual role, in every way possible. But last night had gone _so_ much better than he could have ever imagined.

Cas shifted in bed and Dean rolled over to plant a kiss on his jaw.

"Morning," he said quietly.

"Morning," Cas replied sleepily. A dopey grin slid onto his face.

"Breakfast?" Dean asked, too tired to come up with sentences longer than one word.

"Later."

Dean sighed and ran his fingers through Cas's bedhead. He kissed Cas again, this time on the lips, then managed a longer sentence, "We should get up."

Cas groaned and pulled the covers over his head. Dean retaliated by tickling him. Cas let out a surprised yelp and tumbled out of bed, making Dean laugh loudly, especially when the blue-eyed man stood up with his hair sticking up and wearing a Grumpy Cat-like expression. Dean slid out of bed on his side, and began walking towards the door, hoping Grumpy Cas would follow. He winced as he did so, all too aware of the literal pain in his ass.

Cas noticed and remarked, "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

Dean raised an eyebrow, and Cas blushed.

"I mean… if you want to… again…"

Dean winked at him suggestively, then declared, "I'm gonna take a shower. Feel free to join, but no funny business. You gotta give me some recovery time."

"Deal."

They took a quick shower together, then afterward decided cooking was too much work and just ate some uncooked Poptarts.

Finally, the pair landed on the couch, flipping on TV, though neither were paying much attention. They were too lost in their own thoughts.

Dean was the first to speak.

"Cas?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say I'm… I'm really glad I met you. It's been a long time since I was really… happy… with someone."

Cas blushed.

"What I had with Lisa… that was good. But I wasn't ready to be a dad. I'm still not really there. I mean, someday… But right now there's nowhere I'd rather be than here."

Dean was blushing so much then that he looked down, embarrassed at his comments. A few moments later, he felt Cas rest his head on his shoulder, and they sat like that for a few minutes, resting comfortably together in silence.

"I want kids too," Cas suddenly remarked. "Someday. It'd be great to adopt kids from the foster system."

Dean looked back up at him. "Yeah. They should have real homes too. What you went through was shitty- and I can't really fix that for you, but we could do that for other kids. Um… you know… in the future. Maybe. I bet you'd be a great parent."

Cas blushed again and added quietly, "You too."

There was another long pause, and then Cas broke the silence.

"The first episode of _The Bachelorette_ airs tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was wondering whether you wanted to watch."

"Honestly? Not really. I might watch the finale, though, just out of curiosity."

"I was thinking we might also watch the "Week Six" episode as well, so we know what the public has seen. But I agree, I don't really want to watch anything but that and the finale."

"I hadn't thought about "Week Six". It seems so long ago. But yeah, I do wanna watch that. Good idea."

Cas smiled.

"You know, it's crazy. Atara will probably be getting engaged next week. I can't believe its ending."

Cas's smile dropped right off his face, and he said quietly, "Yeah."

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

Cas sighed. "Next week... I won't be here."

Realization dawned, and Dean's eyes widened. "Shit, that's right. It's our last week together."

"I don't want it to end," Cas mumbled. "I don't want to be 500 miles away from you."

"Hey, nothing's ending. It's just distance," Dean told him. But even as he said it, he wasn't sure he believed it. Long distance relationships were incredibly difficult. And he had to admit, he didn't want to be separate from Cas either. But what was he supposed to do about it?

"Right," Cas mumbled. "Just distance"

…

The conversation dampened Cas's mood a bit for the rest of the day. That is, until dinner.

Dean had ordered pizza, and they were sitting around, waiting for it to arrive.

"Hey, Cas," Dean said. "I've been thinking about something."

"What?"

"You could move in with me."

Cas snapped to attention. Had Dean actually just asked…

"Are you serious?"

"Well… yeah. Pretty much. I'd actually love to have you live with me. My house has plenty of room."

Cas's jaw felt unhinged as it hung open, unbelieving.

"Do you want to?" Dean asked uncertainly.

"I… well, I have my job back in Illinois. I'm just taking a break. But I _have_ been thinking about trying something different. Maybe teaching some community classes instead of focusing on just kids. I could teach self-defense."

Cas realized he was rambling, but couldn't seem to stop himself. His brain seemed to need to talk through the issue aloud to be able to come to a conclusion.

"Plus, I could work at your shop temporarily, until I can find something. Balthazar will be alone… but he did okay by himself before. I could ask Gabriel to check in on him. No, he'd just get Balthazar into more trouble. I could ask Hanna to do it, then. I think she lives nearby. I'll miss Pontiac, I really liked it there. But I've been all over the place- it doesn't really mean anything to me. Lawrence- that's where you grew up, where your family is. I mean, there's my family too, or my almost-family, but I think some of them live closer to here anyway. Samandriel lives a few hours away. Oh, and Charlie moved over here. Didn't she? Or maybe that was Anna."

Cas glanced over at Dean, who looked confused as hell.

"Is that… is that a yes? Or no?"

Cas paused to think through his ramblings again.

"Yes. Yes, I'd love to move in with you."

A wide grin split Dean's face. He thrust a fist into the air and shouted, "Yes!"

Suddenly he was on Cas's lap, kissing him like never before, hands exploring everywhere. Cas could barely breathe, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

"Yes," he repeated breathily between kisses, and then Dean focused in on his neck. Cas groaned and clawed at Dean's shirt, trying to undo the buttons.

He'd gotten about halfway there when the doorbell rang.

Dean pulled away with an irritated huff. "Damn pizzaman. Your timing sucks."

Cas had to agree.

…

 _Three bachelors attended the Rose Ceremony that week, and one of them left at the end of it, leaving two men to try and win Atara Kemmiam's heart._

 _Those remaining were:_

 _Dustin Total_

 _Edmund Jonathan_

…

 **REVIEW!**


	10. Week 10

**SORRY! I've learned I can only do so many things at once. I've been working two jobs this summer - the graveyard shift at a department store and early morning hours at a coffee shop – and in odd hours I'm filling out scholarship applications. I've actually had this chapter and the next written for weeks, but I kept forgetting to update on Mondays. So instead of trying to do that, I'll update these last chapters over the next week, so you don't have to wait much longer.**

 **Quick FYI: Balthazar owns his bar, but doesn't run it single-handedly. He likes to open it, and acts as a bartender most of the time, but another bartender is in charge of closing the place because Balthazar has a tendency to drink while working. He has the freedom to do that because he owns the place, so he can't get in trouble with bosses or get fired.**

 **So, with all that out of the way, here's the chapter!**

…

 _ **Week 10**_

…

"Stop fidgeting. It's not that big of a deal, Dean."

"I'm meeting your family, Cas. It is a big deal. And I want them to like me."

Cas sighed. "You're only meeting Balthazar today. The others aren't coming until Thursday. Besides, Balthazar is one of the most laid-back people you will ever meet."

Dean let out a "hrumph" and looked out the window. They'd decided to drive to Cas's apartment instead of flying, even though it was 7 hours away. It had taken some convincing for Dean to let Cas drive his "Baby", but Cas insisted on taking shifts driving.

The time had gone by quickly at first, and they had talked for most of the drive, but when they were just a half-hour outside Pontiac, Dean had gotten quiet and started fiddling with his hands. Cas understood Dean's anxiety – he'd felt it himself before meeting Dean's family – but it was a bit tiring.

In the last 5 minutes, Dean started talking again, asking questions that he hardly allowed Cas time to answer, which made Cas want to roll his eyes.

"How long have you known Balthazar? What does he do? Oh right, he owns a bar. What's it called? Does he have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Should I bring him something to break the ice - like maybe a bottle of wine? Would that be stupid? What are we going to do when we get there?"

"Dean, we're here. Stop worrying."

Dean bit his lip, and even though it was out of anxiety, Cas still found it pretty hot.

"Yeah, but…"

"Come on," Cas beckoned, already getting out of the parked car. "Everything's going to be fine, I swear."

Dean reluctantly followed him to the door, and Cas simply opened it. It was his house, after all. At least currently.

"Balthazar," he called out. "We're here!"

The aforementioned blonde man appeared from the kitchen and smiled.

"Cas, how lovely to see you!"

A trace of humor underlined his words, but Cas ignored that. Balthazar seemed to always speak that way.

Balthazar's eyes fell on Dean, and his eyebrows raised just a touch. "You must be Dean."

Dean grinned at him, but something odd lurked in his features. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, while I might like to stay and chitchat some more, I've got some chicken in the oven. I hope you're hungry."

"Very," Cas agreed.

Balthazar disappeared back into the kitchen, and Cas led Dean to the dining area. Dean sat down and Cas went to get dishware. A few minutes later, they all sat together for an early dinner before the packing began.

"So… Dean began hesitantly at the beginning of dinner, "Cas forgot to mention that you were British."

Cas tried to hold in the laugh, but couldn't. He snorted loudly and then a laugh burst free. He'd gotten so used to Balthazar's accent that he hadn't even thought to mention it. But of course, it had thrown Dean off guard, who would naturally assume that all the members of Cas's family would be American, as they were all in the Illinois foster system.

Dean blushed.

"He's not really British," Cas said quickly, before Balthazar could reply. "He just spent a few years there. He likes to think the accent suits him, so he kept it. If you ask me, I think it makes him sound like… what would you say Balthazar? I think the term is _prat_."

Balthazar held a hand to his chest in mock indignation.

"Ouch, that hurts."

Cas laughed again, and Dean chuckled along with him. Cas could tell he was already losing his nervous edge.

"Well, accent aside," Dean said, "Cas _did_ tell me that you own a bar. What's that like?"

"I quite enjoy it. It took ten years of working as a bartender to save the money to open my own place, so I'm rather proud of that as well. It's my own little piece of heaven."

"What's it called?"

"Heaven's Pub."

Dean nodded appreciatively. "Appropriate. Creative, too. Easy to remember the name of."

Balthazar smiled cheekily. "That's the idea."

Cas watched the two of them talk for a while longer, occasionally joining the conversation but mostly letting the two get acquainted.

After dinner ended, the Cas and Dean started packing up Cas's things, and Balthazar cleaned up the dishes, saying he'd help out when he was done. But, true to Balthazar's style, he drew the chore out so he didn't have to help with any packing.

Eventually, Balthazar did surface, but not to pack.

"Hey, I've got to open up 'Heaven', so I've got to go. Either of you gents care to tag along?"

Cas looked at Dean, who definitely looked interested.

"Alright," Cas agreed. "Dean should definitely try one of your specialty drinks before we leave town."

Dean smiled excitedly, and the three headed out.

Cas decided not to drink any more than one beer every two hours. He held alcohol pretty well, but had the feeling that his two companions would get quite intoxicated, and didn't mind being the designated driver.

His intuition proved right, as Balthazar had Dean try every specialty drink, and partook of each one with him. The activity lasted all night, with breaks in between that kept them from getting blackout drunk, but they were still far past tipsy.

As they got ready to leave, Balthazar slurred to Cas, "When you're gone, how will I get home when I'm piss-drunk?"

"There's something called a cab that you might consider," Cas replied drily.

Dean passed out pretty quickly once they got home and into Cas's bedroom. Cas made sure Balthazar got to bed okay, then joined Dean in his bed, finding that he fell asleep almost as fast.

The next morning, Dean and Balthazar had pretty bad hangovers, and Cas served up coffee and Aspirin with a roll of his eyes. He tried not to laugh when both wore their sunglasses inside for the first few hours of the day.

Once again, Balthazar found reasons not to help with packing, but he did help some. Not much, but some.

Balthazar went back to work at "Heaven's Pub" again, though he came back sober. Dean decided not to go, as he wanted to be more alert when the rest of Cas's close family showed up the next day.

…

Dean woke up to the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bagels. Cas was still asleep, and he doubted that Balthazar would be up so early after a night on the job, so he guessed that meant it was the first of Cas's family members.

Nervously, he got out of bed and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt. He followed the smell to the kitchen, where he found a young-looking guy setting out cups of gourmet coffee.

"Morning!" the guy said cheerfully when he noticed Dean there. "I brought breakfast."

"Thanks. I'm Dean, by the way, Cas's… boyfriend."

The word felt odd as it came out of his mouth, but not bad. Just unfamiliar.

"I figured. I'm Samandriel. But, uh, you can call me Alfie if you want. Most people do. Hanna and Castiel still call me Samandriel though." He cocked his head just slightly, not unlike Cas often did. "Castiel really seems to like you."

Dean blushed. "He does. I'm pretty lucky."

Samandriel/Alfie smiled warmly at him, and then brought the food to the table.

Cas stumbled out of his room a few minutes later, looking groggy as per usual. But he brightened when he saw his brother.

"Samandriel! It's been too long!"

They hugged, and then Cas joined them for breakfast. Then they went to continue the packing. Alfie was extremely helpful, and worked quietly alongside Dean and Cas.

A little before lunchtime, Hanna showed up, a blue-eyed brunette who Dean had to say looked a bit like a female version of Cas. Cas introduced the two of them, and the four worked together for an hour or so until Balthazar appeared asking about lunch. Alfie volunteered to help Cas cook, and Balthazar decided to take a shower in the meantime, which left Dean and Hanna alone.

"You know, when we were young, I had a bit of a crush on Castiel," she told Dean bluntly.

His brow furrowed in confusion, and he wondered what the appropriate reply to that was. Fortunately, Hanna continued, so he didn't have to come up with anything to say.

"He's always been a good person. That's why I liked him, why everyone likes him. But that means he gets hurt easily. He always sees the best in people. I don't have those feelings for Castiel now, but I care greatly about him, as does the rest of his family. We don't like to see him hurt." She looked Dean in the eyes. "Make him happy."

Her words were a bit intimidating, but Dean knew she hadn't meant them to be a threat. She just wanted to make sure he was good enough for Cas. At least, he was pretty sure that's what she meant.

"I will. Or at least, I'll do my best. I don't want to see him hurt either."

Hanna nodded as if that were a satisfactory answer, then continued working.

Lunch was short, and then everyone returned to packing. Even Balthazar pitched in (though he left after a few hours). It turned out that Hanna had a knack for organization, and was a great asset, even if she was a bit… blunt. Dean soon realized that she didn't have much of a filter (or a sense of humor), and seemed to say whatever came to her mind. She got along well with Alfie though.

After that, the day was mostly uneventful, and Dean found that it passed quickly. At least, until dinnertime, which was when Cas's brother Gabriel arrived.

Cas had told Dean that Gabriel was "wild", but Dean apparently hadn't been completely prepared for Gabriel's electrifying personality.

Gabriel was loud and boisterous, and both Hanna and Alfie seemed wary of him. Balthazar definitely loved him, and Cas seemed to like him mostly (though he rolled his eyes a lot at Gabriel's dramatics).

Gabriel had arrived late, which was unfortunate as he'd offered to bring dinner. Everyone was starving by the time he got there, so not much time was wasted getting to the table to eat the Chinese food. The table was barely big enough for all of them, but it was nice.

Dean found himself suddenly in awe during dinner, looking around and realizing that this family, _Cas's family_ , was one that he'd built himself. He grew up with nothing but he still found family, and that was what had mattered to him.

And then Gabriel ruined it.

"Gee, Dean-o, you seem kinda spacey. Is your eggroll too hard? _I thought you'd like it hard_."

Dean coughed harshly on a bite of chow mien and his face grew hot.

Cas groaned, "Gabriel, can't you behave yourself for a few hours?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Sure. But what's the fun in that?"

Throughout dinner, Gabriel continued the onslaught of innuendos and suggestive jokes, along with occasional eyebrow waggling, which even Balthazar grew tired of.

After they'd finished, Hanna and Alfie got up to leave, and Gabriel complained that they were leaving before dessert, but he shut up when they said he could eat their portions.

Dessert, as it turned out, was giant cupcakes that Gabriel had apparently brought, though Dean couldn't remember seeing them before. They were delicious. Dean managed to eat all of his, but Cas couldn't finish his off, and neither could Balthazar. Somehow, Gabriel scarfed down three, as well as a multitude of candy bars which he kept pulling out of pockets of his coat and pants.

Gabriel and Balthazar almost seemed to be in cahoots during dessert, though, as it lasted much longer than one might expect. By the time they were all finished with the food and conversation, Balthazar was going to leave to open up the bar, and Gabriel headed after him.

"Typical Gabriel," Cas muttered, "Finding a way to come over to help me move and then managing not to pack a single thing."

Gabriel apparently heard this, and turned around to say with a sly grin, "Complain all you want, but I'm doing you a favor." He winked suggestively and added, "Enjoy the alone time."

And then Gabriel was gone.

And, though they'd been planning on packing some more, Dean and Cas decided to follow his advice.

The next morning, they got up a bit earlier so they'd finish packing and getting everything on the moving truck on time. Gabriel had crashed on the couch in the early hours of the morning, and so he wasn't any help. Not that they expected him to be.

It didn't take too long, and by the time they'd finished, Balthazar and Gabriel were both awake. Cas bid them both goodbye, and though Balthazar rarely acted serious, Dean thought he might have seen the man shed a tear during the goodbyes.

Then they were off, driving in front of the moving truck towards Lawrence, Kansas. Dean still couldn't believe Cas was really going to live with him.

He still had lingering doubts and fears, but he disregarded them. He loved Cas.

He _loved_ Cas.

He realized he hadn't said as much to Cas, and so, when they stopped at a fast food place for dinner, Dean abruptly turned to Cas and said, "I love you."

Cas looked stunned, and Dean started to feel self-conscious. Why had he decided to do this now? A fast food restaurant was hardly the romantic setting that such words would usually be set in.

But then Cas laughed and pulled Dean into a kiss.

"I love you too, Dean Winchester."

And suddenly that restaurant felt like the most romantic place in the world.

…

 _Two bachelors fought for Atara Kemmiam's heart that week, and Atara made her choice. One man was sent home heartbroken, the other given one final rose._

 _Atara Kemmiam and Dustin Total are now happily engaged._

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **In case you didn't read the top note: I'm not done yet! I'm also doing chapters for "The Men Tell All" and "After the Final Rose" (I'm going in chronological order rather than the order the episodes air in). Chapter 11 ("The Men Tell All") will be posted next Monday and the final chapter, Chapter 12 ("After the Final Rose") will be posted next Wednesday.**


	11. The Men Tell All

**Sorry AGAIN for late update. It's so frustrating because it isn't that I'm too busy to update, it's just that I keep forgetting because I've lost the habit. So to avoid leaving you waiting AGAIN, I'm posting these last two chapters at once. Enjoy!**

 **CONTEXT: This chapter takes place 7 weeks after the previous, so Dean and Cas have been living together for almost two months and have been officially together for almost 3 months (about 11 weeks). They've known each other for over four months now (17 weeks).**

…

 _ **The Men Tell All**_

…

Cas was unsurprised to find that he and Dean had been invited to Los Angeles for "The Men Tell All" episode. After all, they'd made Bachelorette history. No one had ever found love on the show with someone other than the Bachelorette. He imagined Chris would ask them all sorts of questions about their relationship, which Cas was mostly fine with. I mean, he wasn't particularly fond of the idea that he and Dean's romance could be turned into a piece of fluff for the paparazzi, but he could handle it.

But he wasn't sure about Dean.

Dean had already come out on national television, which Cas knew had been terrifying for him. Dean had been on edge ever since they'd gotten the call. He knew they couldn't refuse the invitation, as it would only interest the media more in their relationship. But Cas could see he wasn't eager to go back in front of the cameras.

Cas tried to talk to Dean about it, but the man had little to say.

"I know I'm being stupid, Cas."

"I didn't say…"

"Yeah, but that's what you meant. And you're right. There's probably nothing to worry about. It's not like they're going to ask about our sex life. I'm just nervous. It's a live audience, and I just… I don't want them all staring at me. What if they hate us?"

Cas grabbed Dean's upper arm and said steadily, "You're NOT being stupid. It's okay to be nervous, Dean. I just want you to remember that it's not about them. It's about us. You and me, okay?"

Dean nodded reluctantly and Cas pulled him into a hug. Still, Dean radiated nerves for days before it was time to go on air.

Cas wanted to put Dean at ease, but he knew he couldn't do that completely. But he had a feeling that Dean was underestimating the audience. These were people who loved to see people fall in love, and though there might be skeptics, he guessed that most would be accepting of their relationship. In fact, the majority might even be rooting for them.

Cas wanted Dean to see that.

He knew Dean was insecure about his sexuality and perhaps regretted his decision to come out on camera, but Cas wanted him to see that he had nothing to be ashamed of. That he was perfect just the way he was.

He only hoped that he would be able to gauge the situation well enough in the moment to know how to best do that.

Fortunately, he had a few ideas.

…

Dean tried to calm himself, but it was no use. Time has passed quickly, and now he and Cas were being ushered onto the stage of "The Men Tell All". He wasn't just nervous; he was downright terrified. His hands were shaking.

They seated Cas next to him, who took one look at Dean and immediately grabbed his hand, leaning in.

"It's gonna be okay. I'm right here."

He kissed Dean's cheek gently and moved back into his original position. However, his hand still remained holding Dean's own. It was a small gesture, but it did help. Dean squeezed Cas's hand in thanks.

Sometime later, the show began, and though Dean's heart raced, he smiled for the cameras and managed not to fidget too much.

After introductions, Chris began spotlighting the most interesting contestants of the season. He spoke with two or three of them before announcing, "And after the break, we'll be talking to Dean and Castiel, our two contestant lovers. Stay tuned!"

The cameras cut to commercial and some crew members ushered Dean and Cas to the couch opposite Chris. He smiled encouraging at them, and Dean smiled back nervously. Cas still held Dean's hand, but his attention was on the audience, surveying them like he was solving some great mystery.

Soon enough, the cameras returned, and Chris welcomed the audience back, introducing Dean and Cas once again. Then he played a short video of them on the show. There were a few clips of each of them with Atara, and then some of them together as friends. Then the highlights from their confession to Atara were shown, and the video ended with a shot of the two kissing in the back of their car as it left.

The video ended, and the lights came back on.

"So what's it like to watch that footage back?" Chris asked.

"A little weird," Dean admitted. "We watched the season 6 episode together, but it almost feels like watching someone else, even though that's my life. That night was kind of a rush. A bit of a blur in my memory, to be honest."

Chris nodded. "How about you, Castiel?"

"It's just Cas. And I feel rather the same. Everything happened so quickly, it's so strange to see it on screen like this."

"Do you think maybe you made a snap decision?" Chris asked. "Should you have thought about what you were doing more, or do you think you did the right thing? Do you have any regrets?"

Dean looked at Cas, who decided to answer the question.

"That's a complicated series of questions. I do regret leading Atara on for as long as I did. I grasped at straws because, like everyone else, I wanted to find love on the show. Which I did, just not with her. I just didn't think the man I had feelings for would feel the same. It took him longer, though, to make his decision. So, while I regret what happened with Atara, if I hadn't stayed that long, I wouldn't be with Dean. And I certainly don't regret my relationship with Dean."

Chris looked at Dean, who shrugged.

"He pretty much said it. I wish I'd known earlier. I never wanted to hurt Atara. And I – _we_ – hope that she is with a man that deserves her. She's really a spectacular woman."

Chris smiled and nodded.

"So then, am I to assume you two are still together? How's that going?"

Cas smiled brightly and said, "Great! I actually moved in with Dean a little while after we left the show."

Chris's eyes widened and he laughed, "So it's going very well, then! That's great! Congratulations!"

Dean blushed.

He looked over at Cas again, whose eyes were scanning the audience again. Suddenly, he spoke up.

"Chris, there's something I actually wanted to say before we leave. Do we have a few minutes?"

Chris looked surprised, but answered, "Sure. What is it?"

Cas seemed to be wrestling with his words, but finally came to a decision on what exactly he wanted to say. Dean watched on with curiosity.

"Dean did something incredibly brave when we were on the show. He came out on _national TV_. He didn't have to do that, but he's an honest man, and he thought that it was the right thing to do. But he also did it for me, and that's something I can't ever forget. We've been together for three months now, and I have fallen in love with him so completely, it astounds me."

The audience let out a collective "aww" and Dean bit his lip, unable to take his eyes away from Cas's excited, sparkling eyes, which had now turned to look at him. He didn't deserve this. But his heart felt warm and full of love, as lame and girly as that sounded.

Then Cas stood up, and the entire audience went silent.

"Dean, you know how I feel about you. You own my heart. And more than anything, I want it to stay that way. I look into my future and all I see is you. So…"

And Cas got down on one knee and Dean could hear the audience gasping, but his heart was pounding so loudly that it flooded his eardrums.

"Will you marry me?"

Dean's throat felt dry and useless. Audience members were screaming excitedly, and Chris had a knowing grin on his face. Dean tried to open his mouth to speak, but after such a beautiful speech, he had no way of following that. A simple yes wasn't enough, didn't speak to how elated he felt right now. No words could convey the contents of his heart and mind.

So he simply nodded, eyes clouding over, and Cas stood up to pull him into a tight hug. The audience cheered as Cas pulled Dean into a brief, but heated kiss, and then pulled a white gold ring from his pocket that he slid onto Dean's finger.

Dean was blown away by the whole thing. He could have never anticipated… _this_.

It was more than he ever could have hoped for. More than even his wildest dreams could produce.

But it was perfect.

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **There will be just ONE more chapter: "After the Final Rose" (unlike this chapter, Dean and Cas will be watching the show instead of being on it).**


	12. After the Final Rose

**Here's the last chapter, guys! Hope you've enjoyed my story, even though it took SO LONG to get to the end!**

 **P.S. This chapter is pretty much just fluff with a little citrus.**

…

 _ **After The Final Rose**_

…

Dean got home just in time for the finale.

"Cas! I'm home!"

Home. He'd called this place home before, but he'd come to realize the statement hadn't been entirely true then. A house is not a home. Home is with the ones you love. Cas made this place more of a home than it had ever been before.

"Hurry up, then! The show's about to start!"

Dean made his way to the living room and sat next to Cas on the loveseat, throwing his arm around the blue-eyed man as usual.

"What took you so long?" Cas asked

"It's not every day you buy your fiancé an engagement ring. I wanted to make sure it looked right."

"And that took you three hours?" Cas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What can I say? I'm picky… and I may have stopped for lunch."

Cas sighed. "Typical. Oh well, at least you made it."

Dean pulled the ring box out of his pocket and presented it to Cas. Cas opened it, and Dean watched his face earnestly, hoping for some sign that Cas liked his choice of ring. He got his wish, as Cas smiled pleasantly at the ring.

Unlike Dean's ring, Cas's ring was mostly yellow gold. The yellow gold was etched with an elegant swirling pattern, and was complimented by a white gold border. It nicely contrasted the white gold of Dean's ring, which had a braided detail etched in it.

 **(A/N: If you want to see pics of Dean and Cas's rings, there are links at the end of the chapter)**

Cas slipped on the ring and said, smiling, "It's perfect. You did well."

He leaned over to kiss Dean, who kissed back eagerly and then whined unhappily when Cas pulled away. Cas simply shrugged and said, "The show's on."

Dean rolled his eyes but made himself comfortable next to Cas.

They were both really interested to see who Atara would end up with, especially because they had ended up deciding to watch all the episodes past Week 6 out of curiosity. The two men left for her to choose from were Dustin and Edmund. Dean and Cas had differing, but not entirely opposite opinions on who Atara would pick.

Dean was certain she'd pick Dustin. He thought they complimented each other really well and had more chemistry than she and Edmund.

Cas, however, thought it could go either way. He said that Atara and Dustin were very different, which could be a benefit or a curse. She and Edmund, on the other hand, were very alike, which made their relationship less exciting, but far more stable. If Atara was looking for someone to compliment her personality and wasn't afraid to face some conflict, she'd choose Dustin. But if she was looking for something simple and easy, something more likely to succeed in the long run though it had less passion, she'd choose Edmund.

Dean had tried to bet Cas that Dustin would win, but since Cas was impartial, he didn't take the challenge. Plus, he told Dean that he actually hoped she'd choose Dustin, as he believed he would be a better mate in the long run and could "balance her out".

In any case, Dean didn't have DVR, so they had to watch it live.

The show began with its usual introductions, but by the time Dustin and Edmund had met Atara's parents, Dean was far too distracted by Cas. He'd taken a nap while Dean was out because he hadn't slept well the night before, so he had a serious case of sex hair (bedhead) going on and his eyes were bright. It was so tempting, and Dean was having a hard time paying attention to the show anymore. All he really wanted to see was the proposal at the end, assuming there was one.

When the show cut to its third or fourth commercial, Dean started kissing Cas's neck, and then began nipping at and sucking on certain places. Cas's eyes closed and he let out a soft moan.

Dean moved on to Cas's lips, which he captured in an intense kiss. Cas met him with equal passion, wasting no time slipping his tongue into Dean's hot mouth. Now it was Dean's turn to moan. He moved his hands from Cas's head to his chest, where they pulled at his shirt buttons. Cas let him proceed, and shrugged off the shirt when Dean had completely unbuttoned it. He tugged at the bottom of Dean's t-shirt, and Dean lifted his hands in compliance, letting Cas lift the garment off of him. This continued for the next four or five minutes as the long string of commercials continued, the men getting more and more wound up.

Eventually, the show started back up again, but Cas seemed to take no notice. Dean pulled his lips off the man and gasped in a breath.

"The show's back on," he said breathily.

Cas pulled him back in, mumbling, "Not important. We've got an hour or so before the important stuff."

Dean smiled into the kiss, and then pulled back briefly, noting with a seductive grin, "We can do a lot in an hour."

…

An hour or so later, Dean and Cas were back on the couch, once again fully clothed, but sharing the sort of satisfied and breathless look people only do after making love.

Cas leaned into Dean, smiling contentedly and glancing down at the ring on his finger, still amazed that he was actually going to marry the green-eyed man.

His family and Dean's had been delighted to hear the news. Since they'd gotten engaged on live TV and most of their friends and family members had been watching, they'd received a multitude of calls once the show had ended. Anyone who hadn't called had received a phone call right away. By this point, Dean had met the rest of Cas's assorted brothers and sisters, and Cas had met Dean's friends at home. Dean seemed to almost weigh less now, after seeing how many people supported him. Cas loved seeing him so buoyant. He still wondered at times whether his father would approve, and Cas could only say that John would want to see his son happy.

"Here we go," Dean said excitedly, drawing Cas's attention back to the TV. Clips of Dustin and Edmund getting out of helicopters were being shown. Atara was about to break one of their hearts.

It took only a few seconds for the show to cut to Atara's first meeting, and Edmund was shown walking towards her, nerves evident in his eyes.

"I was right!" Dean called out triumphantly, and Cas smiled at his fiancé's enthusiasm.

Atara sent Edmund away with a great deal of grace and respect, telling him that while she cared greatly for him, she hadn't fallen in love with him. He was so much like her, but ultimately, perhaps _too much_ like her. While it would be easy with Edmund, she wanted and needed someone who would challenge her in ways he wouldn't. She wished him the best and then watched him leave with a bittersweet smile, noting that as much as he wasn't right for her, she also wasn't right for him.

The show cut to a commercial break, during which Dean went to dish up some ice cream.

"To celebrate Atara and Dustin's everlasting love," he said with a goofy smile.

"Or to celebrate you being right," Cas said with a chuckle.

After the commercial, the show returned, and Dustin approached Atara, looking every bit as nervous as Edmund had, perhaps even more. But Atara looked at him with a big smile, one that Cas knew all too well because it was how he looked at Dean.

Atara told Dustin that she realized that even though it would be easy to be with Edmund, she wanted to take a risk, to be with Dustin not just because she loved him, but because in the end, their relationship would be stronger because of their differences. He beamed when she offered him the final rose, and could barely hold still while she pinned it on him. As soon as she had, he dropped to one knee and delivered a disjointed but passionate speech, ending by asking her to marry him. She accepted, and Dean whooped through a mouthful of ice cream. Cas simply smiled. He hoped Dustin would be as good a match for Atara as he'd thought.

Dean kissed Cas when the show ended, cutting to the live "After the Final Rose" special.

"Your proposal was better," he said with a smile.

Cas blushed.

Dean pulled him closer and rested his chin on Cas's shoulder.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"Well, you came out on national TV," Cas replied jokingly.

Dean laughed, "Yeah, I guess there's that."

A few minutes lapsed in near-silence, with only the sound of the TV.

Then Cas said, "You know, sometimes I wonder if we would have ever met if we hadn't been on the show. Because… our brothers both convinced us to do this. Balthazar signed me up and convinced me to accept the invitation, and Sam got you to sign up. If it weren't for them, we might both be sitting alone at home right now, hundreds of miles apart."

"I guess we'll have to send them thank you cards," Dean joked.

"I guess so."

"You know…" Dean started, but then he paused, hesitating. After a few moments, he said, "I think maybe we would have met anyway."

"How?"

"I don't know. Maybe you'd have driven this way for something and your car would break down and I'd have to fix it. Or I'd get bored on a trip and wander into Balthazar's bar while you were there."

"That doesn't seem very likely," Cas replied skeptically.

"Yeah. But it feels like… fate. Or something. I don't exactly believe in fate or destiny or any of that crap, but… this feels like it was meant to happen. I can't imagine living my life without ever even meeting you."

"Me neither," Cas said, blushing. "I'm just glad things turned out the way they did."

Dean suddenly laughed, "Damn, I guess I forgot about my "no chick-flick moments" rule. Guess you bring out my soft side. I think I'm gonna get a beer. You want one?"

"Sure."

Dean got up and went to the kitchen, returning a minute later with two beers. He handed one to Cas and they clinked their glasses together, toasting perhaps to the coincidence that brought them together, though no words were spoken.

Cas moved one of his hands to link with Dean's free one, and they sat quietly together, watching the rest of the show. Dean started to fall asleep during the end, his eyes fluttering shut as he lost himself to the world of dreams.

"I love you," Dean said sleepily as he drifted off.

Cas grinned.

"I love you too."

…

 **REVIEW!**

 **The Engagement Rings…**

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 ** **Cas:**** ** ** **i68 DOT tinypic DOT "COM" SLASH****** ** ** **f0c3kh****** ** ** **DOT jpg******

 **[Remove the Spaces and Add Designated Symbols]**

 ***Sorry the links have to be so weird, but the FF overlords make it VERY difficult to link to things. Not sure why.  
**


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